Runs in the Family
by Kajos
Summary: So James wasn't human, his childhood was a lie, he was slowly gaining other peoples memories and the Hockey team hated his guts. He still had his best friend Jon and he still had his family, but would that be enough to see him through puberty?
1. Next Generation: Chapter 1

Daniel walked in to the bleak child welfare office and grimaced at the pealing pant and scuffed to death carpets. The woman behind the desk looked up.

'Can I help you?' _Maybe if I wanted to die from second hand smoke._

'I'm here about James McGuyver."

'I'll have a look.' Daniel waited as she painfully set about typing the name in to the computer in front of her with all the speed of a geriatric slug...on crutches. Relief overwhelmed him as the door to the inner sanctum of child misery opened and someone else appeared.

'Would you happen to be Dr Daniel Jackson?'

'Yes, yes I am.' He admitted whole heartedly wanting to get away as quickly as possible from the walking chimney loosely referred to as a receptionist.

'Thank you for coming Doctor Jackson.'

'Oh, please call me Daniel.'

'Very well. Daniel.' She pushed open the door to her office and indicated he take a seat before pushing a button on an intercom, 'Would you please ask James to come in.' She smiled at Daniel, 'Shouldn't be too long.'

'Umm, how old is James, you didn't say on the phone.' Daniel was rally not sure what he was doing here. he couldn't offer a stable environment in which to raise a child. Even if he got transfered off SG-1 he would have to be on and off world at the drop of a hat. He just felt so sorry for the kid. He had apparently been in over thirty different homes with members of the family since his parents died when he was very young , more recently his great uncle a college of Daniel's who in his will had decided daniel would make the best guardian for the boy.

'I believe he is just sixteen.'

'Sixteen? Oh, well I wasn't quite expecting him to be that old.' The door opened and a tall boy in Jeans and a baggy black T-shirt, with short brown hair, enters. 'Oh, Hello I'm Daniel.' He held out a hand awkwardly standing and facing the boy who starred at the limb dead pan.

'James' the boy said in a well practiced manner that said how many more times am I going to have to go through this.

'Well James I hear you've been having some bad luck with relatives and that my old friend left you with me. I'm afraid I'm not that experienced with teenagers but we'll just muddle along. I can't promise this will work, I'm really quite busy at work but what the hey. You don't know till you try...' Daniel trailed off acutely aware that James had no interest what so ever in what he was saying.

'Lets just get on with it.' James picked up his one and only bag and through it over one shoulder holding in one hand what should have been a rather large weight by the look of the bag.

'Dr Jackson There are some forms that will need filling in.' Daniel snapped back to focus on the woman at the desk.

'Yes, of course.' Daniel looks over his shoulder at James while being led out by the woman.

* * *

SGC

O'Neill walks in to Carter's lab. Randomly throwing a tennis ball up in the air to catch. It was easy to get bored just hanging around base.

'So, you know where Daniel is today?' Carter turns to look at him. Quickly pausing her computer simulation so as not to miss a second of the models progress.

'No. He left saying something about sorting out his flat.' She hadn't really been listening at the time, and he had been muttering.

'You know when he's going to be back?' Jack had been hoping to convince him to join him in the gym, he got tired of Teal'c. He just didn't get boxing.

'No. Why?' Jack didn't really want to admit to boredom last time he had Carter had tried to explain the naquadria generators to him.

'Oh, it's Hammond. He wants him to go with SG-12 and look at some writing.' Sam seemed satisfied with this explanation.

'I'll tell you if I see him.' He turned and wandered out the room

'Thank you.'

* * *

Daniel unlocked his door and carried James bag in. He followed behind looking unimpressed.

'What's with all the junk?' He said looking round at the artefacts scattered around the living room. There was even a white bored in the corner covered in a translation he was doing from ancient to latin.

'I collect them through work. I don't remember telling you before that I'm an archaeologist. ' James wasn't interested.

'Where's my room?' Daniel went over and opened the door to the spare bedroom. It was a rather spares set up that had never really been used, much like the rest of the flat. It was mostly abandoned because Daniel just crashed at the base.

'There you go. Make your self at home if you need anything my work numbers by the phone and I really need to get back.' James found it weird that the guy hadn't even bothered to take the day off to get him settled, it wasn't like he knew James yet. In fact he hadn't even taken the day to come to the profs funeral. Lord, He had been ditched on a workaholic...again.

'It's eight o'clock in the evening.'

'Yeah, I work shifts.' James wasn't going to ask. He wouldn't be here all that long. This geek would decide he was too much work and ship him off to the next one. That's what all the others did except the last one who had died after having James for a year. He just hopped the next one would live some were more interesting, and warm.

* * *

SGC

Daniel knocked before walking in to Hammond's office.

'Hello, Jack said you wanted to see me something about SG-12'

'Yes, first, where have you been? I tried your mobile.'

'Well an old friend recently past on and left his great nephew in my care I was collecting him. I didn't want to answer the phone while he was there. Not sure why, he just put me on edge.'

'Is this going to effect your ability to act as pat of SG-1?'

'No, he's 16, he can look after himself so it's not a problem'

'Well, make sure your house stays clear of classified material.'

'Yes, sir. I'll be ready to leave with SG-12 in thirty minutes.'

* * *

Meanwhile back Jackson's flat.

James had waited till Jackson left before logging on to his computer and seeing what this guy really did. A few years ago he had lived with a hacker for three months before he was arrested and could tell when people were lying. He looked them over they were like reading a sci-fi book. Some of the languages looked like ancient Egyptian, he had learnt that from the last one. This would take a while to take in fully. He might try to hang around for a bit.


	2. Next Generation: Chapter 2

5 months three weeks later.

James had just come in from school and was watching TV and pondering. He had read the files they were all years old and mainly odd mythologies. He really had no idea where they came from only that it had to be some hidden backwater as there was no record of most of the thing on the web. He had decided a while ago that the answer was probably at Daniel's work place. Only it was right out side town. That and James never knew when Daniel was going to be coming back. He said he did a lot of over time, but he some times got called in the middle of the day and went tearing off there and was gone for a week only popping back in every now and then. There was something seriously weird about it all. He never said anything about it either, came back like he'd never been gone.

There was the sound of someone turning the key in the lock. James lept to his feet naturally in a defensive position.

"Hello" James said as the door swung open slowly. Out side stood a tall greying man with a hard stoney face. It was Jack; Daniel had introduced them a while back after Daniel was away for a while and had asked Jack to look in on him, James knew he worked with Daneil. "Hi, Is Daniel around?" This was an opportunity James wasn't going to pass up. He walked calmly to the door hoping Jack hadn't noticed his stance.

"Umm no. Haven't seen him since yesterday. Anything I should know about?" Jack seemed worried but James knew better than to try and ask what it was. He and Daneil never said a word. He hadn't met anyone else. He just sat around the place really trying not to get in to trouble and enjoy him self two things that don't mix easily. School was a shit hole of pointlessness, he was coasting through history, geography, french, and Computing. Everyone hated him for it and he couldn't stop.

"No, no just work." Jack turned absent mindedly before stopping. "you okay here, on your own."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hmmm, school going well? Making friends?"

"No, ummm, not really. I'm a bit on the outside really."

"Eh, don't let it get you down. I'm sure you'll be fine given time." Jack patted him on the shoulder in a friendly way.

"Thanks, I'll tell him you called." James said and Jack turned back to the door.

"Yes, you do that." James closed the door behind Jack and waited at the window as he watched the air force colonel return to his car and drive off down the road. Before pulling the pass card he'd lifted from Jack's pocket out his sleeve. He put it in his pocket grabbed his jacket off the hook by the door and left.

Just outside SGC

James had cycled further than that before but on the last stretch he'd had to off road to avoid the cars seeing him. It was not too hard to hide in the forest that surrounded the mountain. He'd been hoping for a back entrance. Instead he'd been thrown off his bike by the handle on the hatch he was starring at. There was a number pad and an enter button that he assumed was to open it. The problem was he couldn't tell if there were a limited number of tries. In which case he would have to try it once only even that might alert someone if he got it wrong. He would have looked at the workings but those were on the other side of the hatch. There must be a way. These guys had to have telephones and the Internet in there. He'd try again tomorrow. In the mean time if he couldn't get in what was he going to do with Jack's pass card? He had no chance of returning it, and he couldn't risk dumping it incase someone with more funds than he found it and entered the well secured base for more malicious reasons than curiosity.

Three days later

At the SGC

"…He's your responsibility Dr Jackson!"

"I know but he's been so many places he knows how to do lots of things. Every time he's been passed on he's learned every thing he can then got bored and been passed on. He won't drop this. I think the only way to work this is to tell he the truth or something close enough to the truth for him to believe. He knows somethings going on. He's smarter than you could be believe. I dread to think what his IQ must be." Daniel pleaded to his superior while James sat in a cell somewhere else in facility having been picked up trying the key pad.

"That would be a huge security risk, I can't do it."

"He doesn't want to do anything he just wants to know. No ones ever trusted him enough to tell him anything out right, so he finds out for himself. If we tell him he might return the favor and keep quiet, you can get him to sign the disclosure, he's over 16. The shock of being told alone most likly will keep him quiet. He certainly doesn't say much about himself."

"Bring him in tomorrow and I'll have a word. It would make life easier if you don't have to come back and check on him all the time."

Daniel's Apartment

"James." They had walked in. The teenager headed for his room closing the door and locking it. Daniel could hear draws being thrown open. "What are you doing?"

"Packing." Daniel sighed.

"James you don't need to pack." James scoffed.

"Look, Jackson, just dump me now, cause I'm not going to stop looking in to your work and you know it."

"Yes, I do know it." He emerged from the room still in his jacket, bag in hand.

"So who you dumping me on?"

"No one. That wouldn't solve anything." James looked shocked. That's what every one did when he showed his true colours.

"Look I've decided that since your not going to stop trying to find out about my work now the best thing to do is tell you the truth." James rolled his eyes.

"You mean a believable lie." Daniel rubbed his eyes.

"No I mean the truth. I know you read the stuff on my computer. It's a book I'm right of legends I've picked up through my work. Well, I gathered those traveling through the stargate."

"You mean the gods gateway?"

"Yes, the stargate is an advanced device, that creates a wormhole through the galaxy connecting a huge number of planets to one another. You believing this?" James weighed it for a moment and cross matched it with his knowledge of the man so far.

"Yes I am. You're not lying. But why all the sudden disappearances?"

"I'm actually part of the flagship team, we get called in, in times of crisis and for missions all the time, that why I'm gone for so long as well. I'm off world somewhere else. Got stuck there a couple if times actually."

"Cool, can I see it?"

"Yes, your coming in on thursday to sign a disclosure agreement and talk to General Hammond about the whole thing."

"Sounds good to me."

"Great. Don't tell anyone will you?"

"I won't." curiosity suddenly assuaged Daniel.

"How come?"

"Because there would be no point. They wouldn't believe me and you would ship me off some where." Daniel held his hand out to James who took it.

"I'm glad with have an understanding but I don't plan to 'ship you off' any time soon." He glanced round at the bags, "You want some help unpacking?"

"No it will be quicker if I do it my self."


	3. Next Generation: Chapter 3

Two months later…

There was a bang on the door and James levered himself off the sofa and went to answer it.

"Hello." There was a boy not much different in age from him.

"Sorry, I must have the wrong place do you know where a Dr. Daniel Jackson lives." He said looking around him as though he would suddenly find himself in the wrong building.

"Yeah, he lives here." James said carefully.

"Oh so do you have forwarding address. For him."

"No I think you misunderstood. He didn't used to live here. He still does." Explained James wondering who this was. He reminded James of someone.

"Oh, who are you then?" The kid asked tipping his head to one side again.

"James, Daniel's my legal guardian. Who are you?" Starring intently at the kid.

"Umm, Jack. O'Neill."

"No." James said firmly. "I know Jack O'Neill. Your not him." James started to close the door. The boy put his foot in the door.

"You probably know my uncle. That's why I'm here. I got in trouble with my foster family and I've been trying to call him to help me out. I couldn't get through to anyone and he actually locked the door for once. So I thought I'd see if Daniel was around." He said pushing casually against the door.

"No he's at work." James tried to close the door again.

"Look, can I just stay here for a while and talk to him when he gets back?" James muttered a few choice words in Abydonian under his breath. Daniel had been teaching him. He had no idea what to do in this situation.

"What did you just say?" The not-Jack said clearly wishing he'd caught more of what he'd said.

"Sorry, I'm bilingual. Arabic." James let 'Jack' in and closed down the laptop. "You want a drink?" Said James from the kitchen, Jack was sitting on the couch. At least if the kid was inside he could keep an eye on him.

"Beer, if you have it. Though knowing Daniel there probably isn't." Then it clicked. His mannerisms exactly the same as his supposed uncles. James got out two glasses and went in to his room and fished out a couple of bottles from under the bed. He filled the glasses and added lots of ice to cool it down.

"Sorry I have yet to sneak a cooler in there." Jack looked like he was about to kiss his feet.

"Cheer, I've been needing one of these for so long. How do you buy it? You're underage." His worshipful tone dropped off into seriousness.

"You've just got to find the right place. Or you can always find out when a bars getting bottles delivered and nick a case."

"Smart." They sat a drank for a minute. "Can you get a call through to Daniel at work?" He asked suddenly.

"Some of the time, it depends what he's doing. He's in meetings a lot." He didn't know how much this guy knew so he wasn't saying anything.

* * *

Jack didn't know who this kid was and if he'd been dumped on Daniel. It was probably only a temporary thing so he didn't know much.

* * *

James wanted to get confirmation as soon as possible so he picked up the phone and rang through to the desk.

_Hello, who do you wish to speak to._

"Hi, I was wondering if I could get through to Dr. Jackson."

_I'm afraid he is unavailable._

"When should I phone back?"

_I'm afraid I can't say._

"Could I speak to Colonel O'Neill instead then?"

_He's unavailable as well._

"Thank you. You've been very helpful." James hung up and turned back to Jack "Sorry, their not available right now."

"Do you know where they will be?"

"Nope." They were both thinking the same thing, they must have be caught up in an emergency. "I need to ring a friend. Make yourself at home." James said as he headed for the balcony and closed the full-length window behind him. He held the phone in his left hand so the guy wouldn't be able to lips read but so he could still see him inside. "Hello, yeah Walter. I've got this teenager in the sitting room claiming to be Jack O'Neill and asking to stay and talk to Daniel or Colonel O'Neill." This was standard procedure as Daniel had established for anyone asking him about base, if he wasn't sure or if he couldn't speak to someone on base. Phone who ever was down as being off duty, today memory said it was Walter.

_I'll be right over._ James went back in to the sitting room and started on his beer.

* * *

Quarter of an hour later…

There was another knock on the door. James leapt to his feet. They had mainly sat in silence and James really wanted a bit of help on this one. He opened the door to see Walter standing on the other side dressed in a T-shirt and cream trousers. It was odd before he had only seen the guy in uniform. "Hi, Walter. Come in." Jack was also on his feet; he was surprised. Walter didn't need asking he went straight in.

"Jack what are you doing here. You had a perfectly good foster family. From what I've been told you were even doing well in class. What happened?"

"I was arrested. Some guy tried to mug me and I beat him up and took control of the gun. This police man comes round the corner and I got a night in the cells before being released on bail." The Kid complained to the annoyed sergeant.

"So!"

"Well my foster family wern't all that chuffed and I got in an argument. I tried to phone Jack." The kid stopped suddenly as it dawned on him what he'd just said. "Whoa. That's still weird." He took a moment to recover. "Any way I didn't get anything and same with Daniel so I thought I just come hang out here and have a word with them when he got back. Only I get here and find this guy," He jerked his thumb at James "Who claims he lives here and Daniel is his legal guardian."

"Oh, sorry James I forgot. Look lets all just sit down and I'll explain the situation." They all went over to the couch and sat down. James and Jack were both glancing between Walter and each other.


	4. Next Generation: Chapter 4

Daniel flat

"Right where do I start?" Walter said frowning at the carpet for a moment. "James." He said pointing to the teenage foster kid. "You're easier to explain so I'll start with you. Jack, James is the great nephew of one of Dr. Jackson's colleges, when he died he named Dr. Jackson as James' legal guardian. He was causing trouble trying to find out classified information so it was decided it was best he was told about the base and signed the non-disclosure agreement. Along with that he requested he was given an alert system so that should anything happen to him because of his connection to the SGC he would be able to phone an off duty officer and get some help. That's what he did when you turned up asking to talk to not one but two people from base and claiming to be related to Colonel O'Neill who he knows doesn't have any siblings." Walter stopped and checked that Jack had got all that before carrying on, "Jack you're harder. James Jack is Jack O'Neill, and he is connected to the Colonel. A few months back a rogue asguard tried to clone Jack in hopes of using his genetics to help stop them from dying out. The clone didn't mature properly due to a genetic marker placed in Jack to stop just that from happening. At first his clone was very unwell."

"Hey I'm right here you know." Complained Jack

"Sorry, anyway once the situation was sorted Thor turned up and managed to save that clone. Jack didn't want to just be a second Colonel so he decided to go back to high school. We placed him with a foster family and he was doing fine. Or so we thought. We have been keeping tabs just in case something happened."

"Right, so your Jacks like mini me." Said James

"No, I was and I still have all of Jacks memories before I was cloned but since then I've become my own person and Jack has probably changed to." The clone said defensively. James relaxed with the idea that the teenager was as mature and trust worthy as his original.

"Okay. Thanks Walter, for coming. As long as I know I'm fine. He can stay here till they get back."

"They've been sent off world at short notice again." Jack asked carefully.

"Seems so." Walter said standing up and looking back at the two teens. "You sure you don't want to stay with me Jack?"

"You have to little kids don't you?" Jack said screwing up his face.

"Yeah."

"I'll pass." Walter shrugged and went over to the door. James let him out then looked back at Jack.

"So, you know all about everything SG-1 did before you were cloned?"

"Don't even bother. I'm not telling you anything. But thanks for letting me crash."

"It's fine. I'd love the chance to go back and redo my life. In a way you had that. You can remember what it was like doing it one way and now you get to try it another."

"Trust me redoing puberty is not nice. Also there are a lot of laws I disagree with. I can't buy beer, I can't carry a gun and I can't even do it with my girl friend with out breaking some law."

"You really haven't got the hang of this have you? One. Getting beer is easy and cheaper when you're a teen. Two. only the father gives a damn about the girlfriends virginity and three who needs a gun anyway."

"I think I might not mind waiting here as much as I thought." Jack said smiling at the more experienced teenager.


	5. Next Generation: Chapter 5

Daniel's Flat

Two days later…

With out Daniel around and Jack being there James had ditched school. They had just sat around the flat watching TV and slowly letting things build up around them. They answered the phone for each other. So everyone thought James had glandular fever and his adoptive cousin was keeping an eye on him.

"You know normally some one would have come to check up on us, especially with you here." James suddenly pointed out.

"Is a bit odd isn't it?" said Jack, he wasn't that familiar with this area of policy but he knew someone should be having a go at him about his family. Plus James was right it didn't make sense that they had heard nothing from base. You would have expected a call to inform them what the situation was and when they could expect people back.

"We need to get some groceries as well. I haven't got any money and Daniel wouldn't trust me with bank details. I would use a backdoor but I'm sort of trying to stay out of the way of the cops."

"What by stealing beer?" Jack scoffed.

"No by not hacking in to any international organisations." That stopped Jack in his tracks. There really was a lot to this guy. He knew more than he showed.

SGC

Daniel's Office

Jack walks in to see Daniel sitting at his desk looking at the computer screen.

"Have you found anything?"

"No, nothing knew. It's all encrypted and we still can't find a way around it."

"Report when you have news."

Daniel's Flat

"You know I'm really getting worried." Said James.

"Your right, someone should have checked up on us by now. The whole thing is messed up. I mean what with me here you'd think that they'd be having us baby sat. I do know quiet a bit about the place." James thought for a minute.

"We need to go see what's going on. Something is wrong, even if it's a huge problem with you around we should have at least got a call. You know that place quiet well or at least the other Jack does"

"I have all his memories, I know the place." Jack said defensively.

"Well all the codes will have changed but I'll deal with that." James voice was full of certainty.

"You're not talking about what I think your talking about?"

"We're going to break in to the most secure facility on earth. Pack a bag."

Out side the SGC

Two hours later…

James and Jack crouched in the trees between them they had very little. A laptop, some cabling and some home made explosives. Plus James had a couple of knives he had from the six months he spent with a martial arts expert before he took some knives to school and used them to deal with two bullies that had been giving him a hard time. He wasn't any good at the hand to hand stuff but knives, he could use knives.

"So where is this entrance?"

"Over here, watch it I don't know if they've vamped up security since I was last doing this. They may not have it's as much a way out as a way in." the two of them moved on and Jack knocked some leaves off the ground to show a grey hatch. "It did have a keypad and print reader." James leaned down to look while Jack kept watch.

"Same system but they've put in a flash bang in case you get it wrong." Jack glanced back,

"Can you get past it?" Jack couldn't believe he was doing this. He had said he would put this all behind him. Be a new person.

"Yes, it's well done but I can solve it." He pulled a bit of tin foil out his bag and used it to short circuit the system. Then he managed to open up the wiring on the keypad and print reader. "I can get past the keypad but the print scanner is too complicated to do with this stuff."

"Not a problem what are the chances Jack's print isn't on there?" James grinned he hadn't thought of that. Why hadn't he thought of that? He never missed things. He was just forgetting about the clone thing. He wasn't in tune with this new stuff yet, that was all. He set to sorting out the keypad being careful not to set off the flash bang or damage the print scanner.

"Right, just need your print and we're in. That and we really need to talk to them about improving security." Jack leant down and pressed his forefinger too the pad. James held the tinfoil in place in case this went wrong. There was a click. The two teenagers grabbed the handle and pulled.

They set the hatch down carefully to stop it making too much noise. Jack climbed in first and James followed. Pulling the hatch back in place above them and plunging them in to darkness. The started to climb down James being careful not to kick Jack in the head. Jack trying to move quick enough to stop James stepping on his hands.

After a while they finally reached the bottom. There were two doors.


	6. Next Generation: Chapter 6

SGC

"Which door, Jack?" James asked when they reached the bottom.

Jack looked around "Umm…"

"You should to know this." James said firmly.

"It's been a while. That one." He pointed at one door and James opened it.

"This isn't the way out."

"No, it gets us stun guns though just in case." Jack pushed past him and picked up two rather real looking P-90s. Jack saw James face and turned it over showing him the red crystal that marked it as a stun gun rather than the real thing. "They just stun. We have them down here from back when this used to be the route in for training groups." He passed over the P-90 and followed it with a USP. He stuck his own pistol down the back of his trousers and reached up for a vest. He chucked it to James and got down a second from himself. He pulled it on over his shirt and clipped the P-90 to it. James followed suit. "Right, now we go out the other door. I'll lead."

"Okay." Jack slowly opened the second door and poked his head out.

"It's clear." He stepped out in to the all too familiar corridor. James followed wondering where on earth they were, though he had been here before he had gone from a lift to a briefing room looked out a window at the gate and gone back up in the lift. This corridor hadn't been on the route. "Right. Where do we go?" Jack asked.

"I don't know!" James said, Jack turned around looking up and down the corridor. He walked over and opened a cupboard door.

"In quick, someone could come any moment." They both pilled in to the cupboard. "What do you mean you don't know? This was your Idea." Jack hissed.

"I just said we should find out what's going on. I don't know much about the place so I can't say where we need to go. Defiantly not anywhere near the gate. Too many people round there. It doesn't matter what the reasons we'd be killed if we got caught. Where would…" suddenly there was the sound of a siren going off out side and a voice over the tanoy. "_Prisoner has escaped. Prisoner has escaped. All teams to the 20__th__ floor."_

"Shit! Were on the 20th floor. This place is going to be sprawling with people in seconds." Jack proclaimed.

"Then lets go back up." James said, "It's just across the corridor."

"It's also the first place they'll check." Both boys thought. James started sizing up Jack.

"How tall are you?"

"What?"

"How tall?"

"Why?"

"So we get you a uniform that fits." James saw the confusion. "You said this place would be swamped, so if two people turn up in uniform no ones going to have time to be asking questions." They could already here some people arriving in the corridor. Jack seemed to think for a second.

"Okay." They charged out of the room getting lucky, there were only two people in the corridor. They slammed their heads against the wall to knock them out and dragged them in to the storage room. Quickly the stripped the two men changing to their clothes. "Not the best fit in the world but they'll do." They waited till they heard the corridor was empty.

"Look," explained Jack, "They'll be running four man patrols with some people wandering spare. They'll be in constant radio contact so we need to look out. They'll soon realise that some things up." They were walking along the corridor. "We need to move slowly towards the holding cells."

"Won't everyone be around there though?"

"Now yeah, but they'll be moving away." They rounded the corner coming face to face with Colonel Jack O'neill.

"What are you to doing?" They had frozen, they didn't know what to do. "Where's the rest of your group?" James unfroze first

"They had to stop, one of them twisted his ankle coming down the stairs and the others helping him to see the medics."

"Fine fall in behind the rest of my group." They followed behind as ordered. James looked at Jack, he shrugged. They checked rooms as they went, suddenly a zat fired from inside a room and dropped Jack and two others in the group. Both the boys shouldered their weapons. Rya'c emerged from the room and fired a zat at both the remaining officer and James.

"Wait!" shouted Jack dropping his weapon before Rya'c could fire on him. "Don't shoot Rya'c! My name is Jack, I'm a clone of Colonel Jack O'neill. I have all his memory up to a few months ago when I was cloned. I have been living off base with a foster family since then." Rya'c kept the zat trained on Jack's chest. "I don't know what's going on here but it's not right. Jack just saw both me and James," he nudged James with his foot. "But he didn't recognise us. He had no idea who we were." Rya'c's aim didn't waiver.

"He wouldn't. Something was brought back through the gate. A girl and a woman. They were going to use them to find a solution as to why they weren't effected by this disease. Then they all just seemed to forget and do as she told them. I was put in the holding cell because I was unaffected." Rya'c answered.

"So we're up against a foothold situation with our own people. Please say the reason we weren't picked up was because they couldn't get in to the files."

"Your correct. I shut down the power and they haven't been able to get back in to the system since. They can only know about things that happened over a year ago. That's why you two would have been outside they're radar."

"What do they want?"

"We don't have time. They will wake up soon. We need to go."

"Okay, we go back to the flat and work this all out."

"Right, how do we get out though?"

"The same way I got in, best only to blow one way of getting in and out rather than two. It's that way." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. Rya'c started to jog that way. "Wait, we need to take James."

"Who is he?"

"Look, let's wait till we get back to the flat then we can sit down and pool information. For now let's get out of here."


	7. Next Generation: Chapter 7

Outside the SGC

Some time later…

James had woken up half way back up to the surface on Rya'c's back. After a few seconds of confusion they got sorted out and managed to get off site before they got caught.

"Wait," James said stopping Jack as he headed off away from the hatch. "We can't go back to Daniel's flat."

"What do you mean?" Jack said turning back.

"Look two kids turn up knowing exactly how to get in. What would you do?" James said bluntly.

"Damn it your right they'll check all staff housing." Jack muttered. Rya'c looked worried.

"Where do we go then?" The alien queried.

"I don't know. The only people I know in the area work here." James thought, where else was there.

"We need to get arrested." Jack and Rya'c both stared at James like he was insane.

"Have you gone loopy? I've been in the cells already this month. Plus they'll have a field day with Rya'c."

"You two would have to give fake names, I need to talk to some people and it's the only way." James looked straight at Jack, "It's all I can think of and it's a long shot, but you never know."

"What's this all about?" Jack asked with out moving.

"Walter told you I've been shipped around between relatives. Mainly because I get in to trouble. Well yeah I got in to trouble but I also found out a hell of a lot and if I can talk to the right people, we can work our way up talk to someone who might listen."

"When you say arrested, how arrested do we need to be? Underage drinking arrested, or armed robbery arested?"

"There is a difference?" asked Rya'c.

"A small one, underage drinking gets you a slap on the wrist and your parents get a call, armed robbery, they stick you in the cells for a bit, then have a talk with you before you get to make a call."

"The second one, I need to dial the number."

"So, you just need to use the phone? I've got change we'll use a pay phone."

"No it has to be a police line that they can trace."

"Who are you calling exactly?"

"The British." James turned and smiled at Jack, "Tally hoe."

AN: Sorry this one is short, but this seems the right place to stop. I right the next chapter once I get a review on this one, so review.


	8. Next Generation: Chapter 8

In the town centre

After dark…

"Okay, are we all ready for this?" asked Jack. The other two nodded, they had jammed their guns and chosen a 24-hour off licence, the sort that would have a panic button. "You certain this will work?" he asked James.

"Positive." They nodded to each other before going in to the store. Rya'c held back covering the door while Jack and James went forward pistols raised. Jack covered the assistant while James shoved his gun right in the face of the owner. "Empty the register now." He said calmly. The assistant was shaking his eyes dating back and forth.

"You try anything and you'll have a clean up in aisle six, brains might just splatter the merchandise." Said Jack to the twitchy shop attendant.

"I said open the cash register." Still perfectly calm. It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes since they entered the shop. James pushed the gun against his forehead, "OPEN IT UP!" He screamed in the keeper's face. The shop keep was frozen with fear and did nothing. "I warned you, I gave you a shot." James back up and supported the gun with his other hand took aim and fired. Nothing happened. He swore loudly. Rya'c looked around from the door and said his line.

"There are blue lights up the end of the road." James turned back to the shopkeeper.

"John give me your gun." He held out his hand to Jack who handed over his gun. Again James aimed at the shopkeeper. "You called us in didn't you. Well I'm taking you with me." He pulled the trigger. "That bastard, I'll kill him, or I would if he'd sold us proper weapons!" James was screaming now. Rya'c dropped his gun as two police officers came through the door. One of them stood in it gun raised blocking off their escape. The other rushed in,

"Drop your weapons. Hands raised." James gave him a withering look and followed the command, Rya'c and Jack followed suit. "Right all of you over there." He indicated over in the corner by Jack, the other two moved over. While his partner covered him he moved towards James. "Hands behind your head and face the wall. " James did as told, the officer patted him down and hand cuffed him, this was repeated with the other two. They moved all three of them in to the car.

At the station Jack and Rya'c were put in a holding cell while James having been identified as the "ringleader" as taken to a room for questioning. It was bare with just a table and chairs.

"What's your name?"

"James."

"Last name?" said the officer trying not to let the kid wind him up.

"Jones."

"Where did you get a gun?"

"I want to phone a lawyer." The officer sighed you could always hope for one that wouldn't be annoying.

"Fine." He led the boy out and into a second room with a phone. "I'll be locking the door behind me and watching you on the monitor." James waited till he had gone then when over to the phone He dialled an English number, some relatives lived out there and he had stayed for a while. As he expected it went through to the answering machine. "Terrorist, bomb, GCHQ, 10 downing street, Area 51, pentagon, Iraq, cargo plane. Now I have your attention, I'd like to speak with David, get him to pick me and my two friends up and make sure he claims to be my dad so that we are release in to his custody. I've said my name is Jones. See you soon." He hung up. He knew it was standard that the phone call would be picked up with that many keywords in it, and they would work out quickly who he was. He was taken to the holding cell. After in turn all three of them had refused to say anything they were let out on bail when a David Jones claimed to be taking care of all three of them on a holiday.

"Hi dad." David turned and looked at James with a look of disapproval,

"How many time am I going to have to bail you out? You're going to end up inside if you don't sort your self out soon." Said David faking an American accent perfectly.

"Whatever." Said James shrugging. After collecting the things they had emptied out their pockets they followed David out to a car and Jack and Rya'c climbed in the back, while James sat in the front with David.

"Right, what on earth is this about, James, you can't just ring up British intelligence agents ask them to bail you out."

"Oh, there's a good reason. I assume working around here you are aware of the stargate program?"

"One of only ten or so who do. Why?"

"The SGC has a foot hold situation."

"What?" said David pulling the car over suddenly. "Who are those two?"

"Those two are Jack and Rya'c. You'll know about Rya'c but Jack only became involved a few months ago so he would come under current affairs and therefore you aren't allowed to know." David didn't look happy about being told by a teenager that something was above his clearance.

"Fine, but why call me in on this?"

"Because if I'd tried to call in the US guys they would have given the SGC our forwarding address and they would have picked us up. The only three people aware of the situation and we'd disappear." James said tiredly.

"So what do you expect me to do about this?" David said starring at the three of them.

"Call the Americans. Call the pentagons, go above the foothold situation to the superiors."

"But you just said…"

"We're three kids, you're an operative for the British intelligence services they'll pay attention to you."

"That's all you want?" David asked cautiously.

"One phone call that all." James reassured.

"Okay." David said resigned to the idea knowing that James wouldn't ask for a joke.


	9. Next Generation: Chapter 9

Hotel four hours later…

Jack was trying to explain the Simpson's to Rya'c while James listened in to David's conversation on a second hand set. He wasn't happy.

"Look, I don't care what your reports tell you! I have reliable information that the SGC has a foothold situation…your not listening to me! Look, some one came through, the rest contracted a disease of some sort, and they're mind drones for her. They have no memory other than from what they've read!" David opened the door. "James hang up right now." James did as told. "I hear you on the line again and I swear I will have your arse on a platter." James hung up and David shook his head. "When did you get so sloppy?" He left and James didn't bother trying to pick it up again.

"So, how do you know this guy?"

"A while back I spent some time in England. I had some issues with their security services after I snuck in to one of their safe houses to spend the night after I'd pissed off my current guardian. At about eleven David turns up with a source, found me and chucked me out. I stole his PDA, mobile, keys and pass card. So, he tracked me down. Pulled me up in front of the services and I got a right bollocking. My guardians wanted shot of me anyway and they agreed to move me back out here with some one else. I kept in touch every now and then with David just to piss him off." David re-entered.

"Sorry, James no luck. I believe you, you would not get this sort of thing wrong but they don't know you like me. In fact I'll give you a tip off. You just hit the radar. Cornel O'Neil and Dr Jackson are coming out for you now. Feel free to scarper just don't bother me any time soon."

"Thanks David. I appreciate it. We'll disappear."

"Hey, James, keep your head down. Some one will catch on soon and deal with it. Leave it to the professionals." James shook his head.

"You know what I say about professionals David." He grinned at his old acquaintance.

"Oh, yeah, their arrogant twats who miss the details." David said smiling a little back.

"Exactly." He and the other two boys grabbed the bags they'd put together earlier and taken to the robbery. Then walked out down the fire escape and across the staff car park.

"Where are we going?" Rya'c asked. James kept walking.

"No idea." Rya'c just shrugged and they continued on. "I was thinking we take our time and jog to some village or something and start hitch hiking. Any ideas on where to head to Jack?"

"Why are you asking me?" Jack asked confused.

"Well, you're the one with the mental age of a pensioner." James taunted.

"Hey, I resent that, I'm…I mean Jack's only 49."

"Still, you must be able to think of some where." Jack paused.

"Actually, there might be one place."


	10. Next Generation: Chapter 10

The setting was odd; it was like a shell of the base. The computers were all frozen. The food not real, but slowly more people were turning up always through the gate.

"What the hell is going on people?" General Hammond demanded of his lead team. Carter raised a hand.

"We think we know what's happening. Before you arrived here, were people acting odd around you and were you attacked by someone."

"Yes!"

"We all had a similar experience. We believe the people brought some sort of devise with them. I saw it before I was hit with a zat. It seems to have a store of consciousnesses in it which she is swapping for ours. This place is a basic construct designed to store our minds while they use our bodies." Carter described.

"To what purpose?"

"Well, her people were destroyed they could have stored their minds before and she is now using our bodies as a survival system for them." Daniel theorised.

"Is anyone missing still?"

"Yes." Replied Teal'c. "Ry'ac is yet to appear."

"How is that? They have here everyone who was in or off duty in the SGC?"

"Possibly his youth. A few of the older members of staff, like cleaners and such are also missing. It might be they need a host close in age to the one in habiting it and they fear perhaps a child will not be able to maintain the pretence." Daniel pointed out.

"My son is no child."

"We know that Teal'c but they won't. What we actually need is to find a way to find out what is happening." General Hammond nodded and they departed. Jack caught up with Daniel.

"You seem distracted."

"It's been a week and James has been on his own."

"Daniel, he's 16. He'll be having a wail of a time."

"Yes, Jack, I'm sure he is but what happens when he does begin to worry and rings in to the SGC?"

"Ah, I see your point."

"If Carters right then I don't like the idea of James being sat in a holding cell surrounded by possibly hostile aliens looking to tie up loose ends."

"Daniel, there's nothing you can do for now. So, go find a book and work this whole thing out."

"There aren't any. Jack. Like everything else in this place the books are just a front."

"In which case you may as well join me and Teal'c for a game of basket ball."

* * *

They were running, they knew they had a tail following, they had seen people earlier and stopped hitching for that reason. They were slowly moving across the country. It had been another day since they left the apartment. Jack reckoned there was a small train station in the next town and they could get out of state from there. The only issue was not making them too noticeable.

"Rya'c, you look the oldest, you should buy the ticket." James said as they sat in the park down the road from the station.

"Are you stupid, anyone's going to remember Rya'c the way he speaks?" Jack pointed out.

"Fine, you right. My ascents not much better. I've got this weird, generic american, british mix. I can fake something else but it'll sound over the top."

"Looks like it's down to me then." Jack sighed.

"Here's the cash, don't get something going to the place your thinking of just anything. We'll change trains a couple of times, see if we can swap on to buses for a bit. In fact New York or somewhere would be good. We can get lost in the subways and then leave to almost anywhere." Jack nodded took the money and headed to the station.

* * *

Carter came racing in to the Generals office. Amazing how that happens, he could do nothing here, but he still felt he ought to sit in his office.

"We have something!"

"What?"

"Someone just came through." The general followed her out the room to the gate room, where SG-1 was already assembled; the man stood there was not a member of SGC staff.

"Who are you, may I ask?"

"My name is David Evers. I'm the MI6 operative attached to this area and that little shit was right. Why is it you lot will never listen?"

"Listen to what?" Jack asked.

"Two hours ago, I called your government to report your little situation here. I was laughed off and they sent a team to pick up my informants, when they ran they picked me up instead and here I stand." They were all surprised.

"Who were your informants exactly?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, old friend of mine, caused me some trouble in the past, not sure how he knew about the whole thing, or ended up with his friends but you can ask him all that, they set out on foot and I don't give them much chance of not being picked up."

"Friends?" Jack asked.

"I demand you tell exactly what happened!" Hammond said.

"Fine, I met a boy three years ago investigating a break in to our files back in England from France. I found the boy then. Arrested him. He's played with me ever since really annoying little shit, far too smart for his own good. If he'd stayed in Europe I'd have recruited him at 18." Daniel stopped him there.

"Do you mean James MacGyver by any chance?"

"Yeah, he been pissing you guys off as well?"

"No, but he's technically my ward."

"Lucky you." He said sarcastically.

"He's running around pulling in British intelligence agents? Who was with him?"

"Boy in late teens early twenties, jaffa, and a kid about 15 or 16 called Jack."

"Rya'c has escaped then." Said Teal'c sounding pleased.

"Jack?" Sam said wondering. "Colonel wasn't your clone with a foster family?"

"Apparently not." Walter came in there.

"I'm sorry sir, I forgot in all this. Before I went in and ended up here. I was called out to Dr Jackson's flat. Your Clone apparently had a run in with the law and ended up coming here. He was staying with James until one of you was back on world."

Hammond stopped them all. "Are you people telling me the only people with any knowledge of our situation is a group of three young boys, who won't be believed by any one with the power to do anything and neither will any one they tell based on what has occurred here?"

"Yes, sir, but you don't realise, this isn't hopeless. If they where able to get Rya'c out of the base and are on the run even now then it's possible they could stay on the loose. Jack what would you do?" Carter asked.

"What do you mean?" The Colonel wondered.

"You clone has your memories, your experiences, he'll react in a similar fashion to you." Carter encouraged.

"Well I'd go to the pentagon or an old army friend."

"And if you knew that wouldn't work. Just hypothetically."

"Well, first I would focus on getting away and finding somewhere to hole up."

"Sam what's the point in this exercise?" Daniel asked.

"Look, as David said, James has skills none of us have thought of, even you've said before, he knows a lot more than you'd think. With him is someone who knows this base and how a search is conducted, better than anyone, he has a jaffa that knows tracking and lord know what else as far as survival and battle goes. They're all determined boys. They won't give up easily. I think they might be able to at least stay at large long enough to do something." Carter said laying out the skills of the group.

"What exactly could they do?" Hammond said completely disbelieving.

"They would only need to infiltrate the base and reverse the effects of the devise in order to free us."

"Carter that's a pretty big, only." Jack pointed out.

"I agree with the Colonel on this Major. This is one of the most secure facilities on earth."

"But, sir if Rya'c is out they've already got through those defences once. A second time would not be all that difficult. "

"Well, we can all pray."

"I don't like it Sam." Said Daniel.

"Nor do I Major Carter. Rya'c is not familiar with the ways of earth."

"I'm not so keen on sending kids in to fight either Carter." Sam looked at the three of them.

"That's the thing, we can't stop them guys. You know them."

"She's right. I wouldn't drop it" said Jack.

"If I know anything about James and the way he was acting when he left he's not backing down from this one." Put in David.

"Rya'c will not fail in what he perceives as his duty."

"There you go. Now lets just hope they live up to expectations."


	11. Next Generation: Chapter 11

Jack leant against the dorm wall and waited with his backpack at his feet for some one to go in. Finally a group of giggling girls started for the door. Jack grabbed his bag and they stopped.

"We're not letting you in you know. I mean shouldn't you be in school or something?" Damn being a kid. Jack shot them a smile.

"I'm suspended, my folks sent me up to stay with my sister." They scoffed at him.

"So whose your sister then?"

"Cassey Fraiser." They laughed at.

"Cassey's an only child. Everyone knows that."

"We were in foster care together for a few years she's as good as a big sister to me," They looked doubtful. "Fine," he said thinking on his feet. "Just tell her Jack O'Neil's outside and needs to see her." The shook their heads and went in. Once they were gone Jack shook his head an waited for another person to try.

* * *

"Hey, Cas! Some guy outside says he's Jack O'Neil and wants to talk to you." Cassey was confused. What would Jack be doing here?

"Thanks."

"You acturlly know him?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later okay." She headed down the stairs worrying about her Mom. She opened the door.

"Cassey!" She looked over it was some kid.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?"

"It's me, Jack."

"How do you know that name?" She was very worried now and very suspicious.

"Well it's sort of Jack, look, I just need to talk to you. Me and a couple of friends." The others walked out from round the corner and Cassey went to close the door but Jack got his foot in the door. Rya'c stepped forward and lifted his hat a little.

"I am Rya'c there is a situation which we wish to discus with you and we are in need of a place to hide." Cassey stared for a minute then turned to look at James.

"And who are you? A member of the new cadet team at the SGC?" James laughed at that.

"No, I'm Daniel's foster kid. James. Pleased to meet you. I've heard a lot."

"James? I think mom mentioned you. Said Daniel didn't have a clue what he was doing taking on a teenage."

"Sounds like her, she gave me a check up a while back. I had a cold and Daniel was in complete panic that he'd given me this off world disease they'd had on the last place he went to."

"Seriously?" She laughed and James nodded. Cassey invited them in and dragged them up to her room.

* * *

"So…aliens have brainwashed the SGC and now because you're the only people who know they're coming after you. You want to hide here for a while?" James nodded. "You're sure about this?"

"We were right in front of Jack earlier the two of us and he didn't twig it was us." Jack said, "I mean I'm no genius but I think I'd recognise myself and he know James well enough to spot him." The clone pointed out.

"I don't know. I don't want to people in danger by having you here."

"Yeah but if they come here they'll assume you know so your sort of buggered anyway now." James pointed out apologetically.

"And why did you come here?"

"No adult is going to believe three kids unless they knew us. The best bet would have been to tell the guys at the SGC or the pentagon but SGC are out and the pentagon is going their way. You know about the SGC and you're not like required to clear stuff through a system." James explained

"I guess." Cassey looked tired.

"Before we decide anything else. Can we stay here at least for the night? If you want we can be gone first thing in the morning." Cassey shook her head.

"Where would you go?"

"I recon between us we could hide out in the woods for a while. Head up in to Canada."

"Look you can stay the night. I'll decide anything else in the morning. Now I have a lecture in ten minutes so I'm out of here. If anyone sees you other than the guys you talked to on the door tell them I'm tutoring you or something and in the toilet." She grabbed a backpack and head out the room. James and Jack smiled at each other while Rya'c looked at the room curious about it.


	12. Next Generation: Chapter 12

**Kajos: Sorry, it's been forever between updates I know. Like months but I've been really busy this summer and after a week ago I'm determined to finish my novel which I am over half way through now. Because of all that fanfic updates I afraid have to take a back seat. So I'm only doing them after all I've done schoolwork and completed my quotes of book writing for the day and this is the first time that's happened. I am updating now though so I hope you enjoy it. Comment are always welcome and helpful because other wise I forget all about it and it never gets up dated, the more you comment the more likely I am to ditch my school work to write. Here's the update though, things are starting to get interesting…**

"So, what's your plan?' Cassy asked the next morning as they all sat eating pop tarts.

"Plan?" James said looking surprised.

"Well, you implied that Canada was the back up plan. What's plan A?" James looked at her for a moment.

"We get on to base. Work out what's going on and put an end to it."

"Oh, yeah, that's great let me just go get my coat." She leaned forward and looked at him hard. "That base is the most secure place on earth, not to mention they're now gunning for you so pretty much every route in or out will be covered. Then you have some of the best military technology in the place and expertise that will take you out in seconds. Get past all that and you still have to work out what's going on which means finding these people who are most likely the hardest people on the base to get to and listen in on them long enough to work out their plan. Then you have to find a solution to stop what is most likely an extremely effective plot. Finally you have to execute that solution with an adolescent Jaffa, a mini me clone, a college freshman and the poster boy for gifted young offenders."

"Well when you put it that way you make it sound a lot more impressive."

"It's the truth James, that plan is next to impossible." Cassey laughed.

"So is stopping this if it gets much further or alerting anyone capable of stopping it."

"Cassy," Jacks doppelganger said softly, "this is all we've got, but the fact is despite all that stuff, I know everyway into that place, Me and Rya'c have years of military training between us, I know my way round the base better than anyone. You and James have the techno ability to get us close enough to listen in for as long as we need to. Then the two of you think up a solution between you and the four of us execute it because all that stuff you said might be true but we also have one of the greatest young soldier of his species, the mind of one of the most capable SGC staff in existence, no boast, the girl who used to beat everyone I knew at chess and one of the best tactical minds I've come across and a hacking linguist who takes lateral thinking to a whole new level. If SG-1 could save the planet so many times, we can save them."

"You really are Jack, aren't you?"

"Damn right I am."

* * *

"So, if we were on the outside what would we do?" Jack said looking around at the group of them.

"I don't know, Find a way back on base for a start." Daniel said.

"Right and how do we do that? They know all the entrances and exits and know we're trying to stop them." Jack pointed out.

"I believe I would try the front door O'Neill." Teal'c said calmly.

"You mean come in the main entrance?" Sam asked confuse.

"You are correct. Major Carter. I believe a small human in the movie about the jewellery that must be destroyed said: The closer we are to danger…

* * *

"…the further we are from harm." Jack said as everyone stared at him strangely. "Look, we go straight in the front door they won't expect it. We get ourselves caught and break out."

"Great idea Jack, one issue. How exactly do you plan to break out?" Cassy queried.

"Well, that not my area, you and tongues boy can work that one out." James sighed and nodded.

"The initial idea is good I admit. I've only ever had ten minutes in one of those cells though. I don't know enough about the security on them."

"I do though. What do you need to know?" Jack said pleased that he was being useful.

* * *

"Right so, we'd get Sam to work out how to get out of the cells before hand. Then what about the guards?" Daniel asked.

"Well, umm, in their case I guess they work out some way of guiding Rya'c to each of them so he takes out the guards first before they get out, or they work some ploy up to deal with them." Sam theorised.

* * *

"So once the doors are all open James escapes and runs towards the escape route out to the surface. Meanwhile I go to the infirmary and grab some nasty chemicals just in case. Rya'c makes for the gate room and Jack takes the armoury. We then all head up to the storage levels and meet up in the remote control centre. Rya'c having grabbed a laptop on the way and Jack having brought all the guns he can carry with him. The guards will follow James and he'll lock them into the vent."

* * *

"What can we do from the control room in that case?" Teal'c asked.

"Well, you can view security cameras from there and see most of the base." Daniel reasoned.

"Can anyone read lips?" Teal'c shook his head. "I certainly can't." Jack put in.

"It's one of the few things James doesn't know."

"Cassy can."

"What use is that?"

"Well it's quite possible that is where they went for shelter." Teal'c stated.

"Okay, so we're already working best case scenario, so Cassy is there and can lip read. What does that tell us?"

* * *

"It tells us hopefully what they're using to do this and where it is or at least enough of a clue to then find it using the cameras."

"So we find them or what they're using. What next? How do we reach it?"

"I recalibrate a credit card to act as a swipe card to get us through the doors. The route though is completely dependant on where we need to get to." James said. "Though we'll need to get some gear for that."

"That could be tricky considering we're getting in via arrest."

"I could improvise with some wiring and one of the card readers off the wall at a stretch."

"I think you'll have to." Jack said. James just nodded. "So, that's the plan. We can't really plan further than that, can we?"

"It's not much but at least it's something."

"Lets hope it's enough."

**Kajos: Hey hoe you liked it please review it reminds me to update! Otherwise this happens and it's weeks. Sorry it's a short one but it seemed the right time to stop. Hopefully the next one should be a little more interesting.**


	13. Next Generation: Chapter 13

**Kajos: again very sorry for the lateness of the update, I promise it's not that I haven't not been writing! I've just had other non fan fics to write and a deadline to meet. I have though been watching the new SG series Universe. Not sure about it yet. The original will always be the best and I am trying to collect the dvds but it's taking time and I'm struggling to find time to watch them. Anyway enough about me. On with the story.**

The front door. What made this sound like a good idea? They had no idea how they were getting out of those cells currently. James was mostly hoping they hadn't moved things around too much or changed security protocols. This whole thing was a horrible idea. If only he had a better one he would use it.

The four of them were on a bus headed for Washington, the plan was to go to the pentagon. Obviously it was a stupid idea that would get them arrested, but at least someone would know they were then on the base and hopefully that would prevent them getting killed. It was risky, there had to be a reason they had taken his father but left Rya'c and what ever it was might not bode well for the rest of them.

As the bus trundled onwards Jack had gone to sleep, James had noticed this was a sort of skill of his to just drop off when ever. Not surprising since his adult self had been a military man and still was. James refused to think of people in the past tense. Cassy was reading text books and muttering about how much she was going to miss because of this crazy stunt while Rya'c was quiet content to stare out the window at the scenery and occasionally gasp. James was bored and had stolen a laptop of someone who had been sat in front of him and got off a few stops back. He had worked out the guys name and town so he would email him and post it back later claiming he found it on the bus and he must have left it by accident, which he did in a way.

In the mean time he was able to start working through things using the brief spurts of wifi he could pick up in towns and cities when they stopped. He was starting to piece together with some download software a simulation of what they needed to do. It took him a couple of hours to build the basic reconstruction of the base they would need and start mapping their hopeful path from the cells. Occasionally he woke Jack to get ideas about doors and patrols and such but mostly he was able to remember enough. The journey was long and they all slept at one time or another. Jack sat late in the night watching the others as he hoped they got as far as the pentagon before they were picked up. It had been his idea and he wanted the security of knowing other people knew he was sighed, suddenly looking at the three of them he felt all of his years before and after cloning and thought with dread on the idea of four teenagers even with this much skill going up against what they were. It was a fools errand.

With the morning came their arrival. They all roused themselves and realising he would have it confiscated, James, deleted all his work off the laptop and slipped it back under the seat for the bus driver to find. As they stepped off the bus three of them instantly scanned their surroundings while Cassy checked the map on the wall of the bus station looking for the best route. James was already spotting security cameras and carefully stepping out of sight of them and indicating to Rya'c and Jack to do the same so mostly other people blocked them. Rya'c was on guard for any attacks from SG staff while Jack kept an eye out for any agent sorts. Between the three of them they had the whole place covered until Cassy was done and they left through three different exits Jack and James going one way that Jack knew from his many visits to the capitol and heading for the train station while Cassey and Rya'c headed out to the pavement to catch a local bus out a ways before they had scheduled to meet the others in a park not five miles from the five sided building.

They spent three hours hanging around the place before James, having cased the place and found a way in online, snuck them through the perimetre towards the building where they made it as far as the lobby before they were stopped and thrown out. After three more times they were arrested. Of course they gave the same fake names as before to avert suspicion but the names were flagged and very quickly calls were being made to departments the guards had never know existed and people had arrived with badges and smiles.

"Hi guys." Jacks replacement grinned and got nothing but scowls in return as his team of SFs lead them out in to a truck where Jack joined them in the back. "Well well well, we find you at last. You lead us on a pretty good chase there kids. Now why not tell me what you were thinking? Disappearing like that. Cassy, you have class, you should be there. As for the rest of you. James you gave Daniel a heart attack when you disappeared and you! Come on, your wanted by the police and your leading teenagers in a chase across the country, your supposed to be me! You get a head wound or something."

"Congratulations you hacked our files. Your not Jack."James just sneered back at him.

"Not even close." The Clone said. "I would trust myself...I think and Daniel would come to pick him up if he was worried about James."

"Really you are a very poor actor." Cassy said snootily.

"I personally could not tell the difference Colonel." The copy nodded and thanked the boy before Rya'c continued. "Except that you failed to mention me when I would have believed an alien adolescent would have been the greatest of your worries."

"Well, you have us but no great problem, we have you. So, you won't be talking to anyone in the near future." Alien-Jack threatened.

"What about our friends and schools and relatives?" Cassy pointed out.

"Well we have most of those relatives you mentioned, all your schools are in different parts of the country and think you've moved and friends...well I don't think they'll be much of a problem after, you all just packed up and left with out a word." They were all solemnly silent with the realisation that they were royally screwed.


	14. Next Generation: Chapter 14

**Kajos: As always, sorry for the time between updates but... I haven't got a good excuse so...enjoy the chapter, I'll try to make it long or write two.I'm even taking off my gloves so I can type better.**

The truck was met by two dozen SFs as it pulled into the compound, each of the young people was marched in to the base held by two SFs James was more than a little impressed by how cautious they were being about them. As they walked through the corridors James decided he should have got more sleep the night before as he watched a soldier stop open a door and walk through it, but he could swear the door was still closed at the same time. There was clearly something up with his eyes.

Then there was the guard that had asked what he was doing there and shouted for him to stop. No one else seemed to notice him at all. Something was wrong. Jack...well Jack's body lead them down through the levels to the holding cells where they were all placed in separate cells and the doors locked. Then James saw that the guard had followed them. He followed James into the room through the sold door. Though he seemed to open it as well.

"What are you doing here?"

"What's going on, how did you come through that door?" The guards posted on the door turned round looking into the room at him like he was mad. Given that he was hallucinating, he probably was.

"Who are you?"

"James McGuyver. I'm Daniel Jackson's foster kid." The soldier nodded at him.

"Stay here."

"Oh, yeah, I'm so able to go somewhere else." He murmured and the man opened the door and left through the solid door. James lay down on the bed. Noting the camera and other security features around the room while he though about how he would get out of there. He needed to get out.

It was only a few minutes later he heard running footsteps in the corridor and rolled to sit on the bunk as the door, sort of, opened and Daniel entered the room.

"Damit!" He said grabbing his head. "Did they get the others?"

"You're still not Daniel." James said yawning.

"What?" Daniel asked him. "What do you mean I'm not Daniel?"

"God, you guys think I'm soo stupid, don't you?"

"Seriously James, it's me. They've downloaded all our consciousness into this sort of virtual base. We all just found ourselves coming through the stargate..." He paused with an odd look, "except you didn't. Why are you sat in here James?"

"The door's locked, unlike you I don't have what ever it is your using to do that door trick."

"What door trick?"

"When you came in. You opened the door only it didn't open and then you walked through."

"James, I opened the door normally. Could you just try closing it?" James sure this was the real Daniel and very confused went and closed the door, sort-of. "I think I should get Sam."

"Get here quick, the guards look like they're about to call for back -up."

"What guards?" James just shrugged and Daniel jogged off to go get Sam. Just as he left Jack came back and opened the other door leaving the one Daniel had just gone through closed and stepped through it.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Daniel, he was just in here. Or I was hallucinating, I'm currently unsure as to which. Any idea?" James asked off handedly.

"The guards reported no one was in here." Sam and Daniel reentered the room behind him.

"James, Explain to Sam about what you're seeing."

"Not now." Daniel said to the two of them.

"Don't be smart with me." Jack said slapping him.

"Whoa! What was that?" Sam said as a red and white hand print appeared on the boys cheek, he jerked sideways and the cheek ended up red and he sat straight again.

"Yeah, James appears to still be in the real base but at the same time experiencing this version of the base."

"So that was...?"

"Well, I guess there's someone else in the room right now." James gave the smallest of nods on the pretence of clutching his cheek.

"Who were you talking to?"

"I told you, Daniel Jackson, he walked in through the door and started talking to me. I think I'm going mad because you walked through the door as well." Jack was angry now, he stood punching the boy in the side of the head. He dropped on to the bunk vision blurring. Jack picked him up by the front of his shirt.

"James!" Sam said shouting and trying to help him. She could touch him but he was moved it was like she had no strength at all to stop anything.

"Sam...I don't think we can help him." Daniel said starring in horror as James dangled in the air and was slammed into the wall by the invisible person.

Jack dropped him kicking him in the face and gut. James nose exploded in pain and he passed out then.

Daniel was crying while Sam knelt next to him passing through Jack who crouched starring at him. Then walked out.

"The kids a nutter, he told the guards, take him to the infirmary and make sure he's put in restraints." The guards nodded and while Sam was slowly moving the boy into the recovery position discovering that when he wasn't under the influence of reality she could move him when suddenly he was lifted by his arm pits and pulled from the room. Daniel followed.

"Go get the others, I'll stay with him." He followed the floating boy through the corridors telling people not to worry as he did.

**Kajos: well, there's a stumper for you. Another chapter to come straight on the tail of this.**


	15. Next Generation: Chapter 15

**Kajos: Second chapter as promised!**

James came to in the infirmary. As he cracked his eyes open he could feel the caked blood on his face the straps at his throat, waist, wrists and ankles. His nose was impossible to breath through as he forced his swollen lids apart to see people stood over the bed.

"Hey, James? How ya doing kid?" Jack asked

"al'it" James mumbled feeling his lip split at the small movement and pour blood into his mouth.

"Sure, kid. " He looked at the others gathered round. "Umm...according to Carter you seem to be mentally in this world and able to manipulate it just like we are...opening door, interacting with us and stuff but your really in that world which is why we can try and help but it doesn't really do anything. Sort of like being in and out of phase at once. James...what happened?" James mumbled incomprehensibly. They all looked at each other. Then Sam light up with an idea.

"Wait a second." She came back with a pencil and a pad of paper. She put the paper under his hand and the pencil into it inside the restraint. Understanding James started to write a simplified version of what had happened. "So we were right. You guys were going to break us out." James added two more words before dropping the pencil. _Still are_. Once he dropped the pencil his hand began to flex as he dislocated his thumb and pulled his hand out of the restraint.

"James!" Dr Fraiser complained. "Stop, you at in no state..." Jack held up a hand to stop her.

"Doc, he's not listening, and anyway, he's no better off here, they're not treating him." He had the other hand undone and his neck and was checking that none of the guards on the ward could see him. Before he reached up and painful mashed his nose back into shape. Scrapping all the gore off his face he finished freeing himself. He was still dressed and had pretty much been abandoned in the ward. He headed for the sink and washed his face before grabbing a bottle of anti-inflammatory and taking two.

"We knew he could do that didn't we?" Hammond asked.

"I for one, sir, had no idea." Daniel said. Daniel walked to the door glancing out at the deserted corridor.

"We'll just follow you shall we?" Jack said. James looked back and nodded before slipping out into the corridor and heading back towards the cells. The others followed him uselessly. He didn't encounter anyone until he saw that the cells were still covered by guards. He backed up into an empty storage room beckoning for everyone to follow him.

"They've got two guards outside of each of the cells. I have nothing. Any ideas?" He asked them all. It was a little bizarre to watch as the senior staff of the SGC tried to come up with ideas.

"Those goauld light bomb thingies! Head for the armoury on level 21, we're on 20 thats one level, you can get there. That would take out the lot of them. In the mean time there are uniforms in here. You could change and pass for an SF." James liked the idea and dug out a uniform.

"Umm, could you guys, leave while I change."

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Daniel said herding everyone out the door. Changed James emerged and started along the corridor to the lift. There were some people in it but the uniform fooled them and he was on the next level in seconds and out again before anyone could look at him too hard. He was at the armoury a minute later and had fooled the card reader just after that and was into the stores. "Nicely done. We should look into that." Sam said as she watched leaning against the wall. James ignored her setting in and searching through the crates. "Vault on the wall." Jack said. James looked up at him and went to the vault entering the pin as he was told to by Jack. The door swung open and he picked up the devise. He looked down at himself unsure how to hide it on himself.

"I need a pack or something." They all looked thoughtful.

"SG-12's locker room in round the corner. They were on a four month mission, not due back for another six weeks, try in there, son." Hammond said. James nodded putting the grenade down and stepping out the armoury he was quickly back with a basic backpack. It wasn't too suspicious, he shoved the grenade in then looked around and grabbed four zats and some smoke grenades and flash bangs shoving them all in the bag. He headed back to the elevator.

Back at the cells the guards were still there, He turned with the grenade and rolled it out in to the corridor. Jack and Daniel looked at each other as they realised they could see it only when James was holding it.

"Well, that's normal." Daniel tipped his head in recognition before following the boy. It was surreal, the corridor looked normal to them but they watched as James stepped over the bodies of the guards and disabled the cells doors, smiling at people on the other side.

"Has anyone else noticed the way he interacts with both worlds when he disables those readers?"

"No, Carter we hadn't." Jack said stood hands in pockets relaxed. Zats disappeared as James handed them off to people. "So thats the rest of the kids sprung."

"James you look distracted." Cassandra said.

"Yeah, well I'm currently seeing two versions of everything."

"What?" clone-Jack asked.

"Well, there's this version and there's the place everyone else's minds have been sent, for some reason I can see both at once."

"That does not sound pleasant James McGuyver."

"It's a little weird." James said, "but the sooner we sort this mess out the sooner I don't have to see both."

"Let's do this then." clone-Jack said taking point down the corridor.

**Kajos: Well thats it for today. My hands are frozen but I will try to update again soon. May be tomorrow if the weather doesn't clear up. Hope you enjoyed the chapters, review if you did or not.**


	16. Next Generation: Chapter 16

**Kajos: Wow, this updating thing is getting almost regular, which considering there are some years between up dates of this fic I think it quiet good. Anyway, the whole premiss of this chapter is quiet confusing so to make life easier (mostly it's the three different Jacks) between people in the real world and people in the weird world, those in the other world i.e. the non physical world, and all things pertaining to that world will be in italics. Okay? Clear? Right, on with the fic...Oh and I've desided that by defualt James is in the real world**

The four of them started heading out towards their goal, the surveillance room. The place seemed to be half empty to the others and James had Jack and Daniel doing a running commentary on who they could see so James could tell who was in which world. The rest were just sort of hanging about the place.

_ "There's three airmen in this corridor!" Jack called back before asking them all it stand with their backs to the walls until James had passed. That was Jack's suggestion just in case James needed to know what he was firing at he knew not to go for people stood against the wall._ Jack was on point followed by Rya'c so that with Cassy next and James at the back Cassy was well protected. She had complained they were all sexist until they pointed out she was the one with no combat training at all. They made it as far as the lift before the alarm was sounded. Luckily they were able to set up a defence and take out the occupancy of the lift before they could react. Jack selected the level.

"Could you guys not stand there?" Everyone looked curiously at James as the lift traveled upwards. "Sorry. I meant Jack and Daniel."

_"Oh, sorry." Daniel said stepping further into the space also occupied by Jack's clone. When James winced he shrugged. "Where would be good?" _James looked around and gave up.

"Forget it, no where is going to be good. I'll just close my eyes. Don't forget to warn people as the doors open."

_"Will do." Jack said from where he was leaning against the wall. _The way to the surveillance room was mostly clear and where possible they ducked down side corridors. A trail of unconscious people might give their position away a bit otherwise. James was just about getting used to being told the corridor was clear by clone Jack and then turning the corner to see six people stood against the walls as they reached the room and he went to work on the card reader while the others covered him. Soon they were in and scanning the cameras. _Jack and Daniel were a bit at a loss as the rest of the senior staff slowly made their way to the right floor and they all stood outside discussing events so far in a casual way that made James feel like he was going insane_

Rya'c was the one they were depending on here as none of the rest of them had actually ever seen the girl and the woman who had come through the gate. The rest were stuck looking for people they didn't recognise. There were lots of camera and eventually people would find them but it was taking worryingly long as five minutes stretched to fifteen. James and all of them were getting worried, they had checked all the obvious places when suddenly Rya'c got up and pointed at a video feed as it flashed across the screen.

"That! That is them!" He said shouting at the screen. Cassy noted the camera number and looked up in a manual where it was. Before asking Jack.

"That's the computer room. You know where they keep an eye on all the computers and stuff?"

"Server room?" James asked.

"Yeah. What would they be doing in there?" James just shrugged. "Well, it's seven levels down among the storage levels under normal circumstances no one's really down there other than patrols and a few technicians."

"But if they are there is it not likely that there is added protection in that area?" Rya'c said.

"Almost certainly." James sighed. "Which means we don't really know what to expect and we're going to have to wing it. Do we have any idea's yet on how this thing is being caused or how we can stop it?" The other three shook their heads.

_"I have an idea." Sam said _James turned to look at her indicating for the others to be quiet. _"We were all effected almost instantly by it so what ever it is doesn't take notice of walls doors or anything else and can effect a large area instantly not even as a pulse, just there. It also based on what I heard about Rya'c description it didn't debilitate us at all and we've been replaced with different consciousnesses. Well, we've seen with Daniel that you can carry different people per say in your mind. What if they were carrying all these people in their heads and just instantly swapped them all out."_

"So they have some kind of psychic ability to do this?"

_"Yes. Which would mean we're in their minds or at least one of them. Now younger minds are under developed which would explain why none of you are effected."_

_ "Except for James." said Daniel._

_ "I'm not sure why James is acting like he is, by my theory that would be that James is in they're heads and his own at the same time."_

_ "How is that possible?"_

_ "You must have some latent psychic ability." Sam just shrugged._

"Okay...working on that theory, how would we reverse this?"

_"I'm not sure, I think they would have to reverse it. Given that they can move off base I can only think that the new conscious aren't tied to them. Which means that the swap is complete and we'd need them to swap us back."_

"Great. We'll just see what we can work out, okay?" _They all nodded._"Right, normal people, it seems that the only way to reverse this thing may be to convince those two girls to reverse it for us. Any suggestions?"

**Kajos: Sorry, thats your lot. My brain is mush after trying to write this a balance the whole two world thing. Sorry if it was confusing it parts it certainly was for me writing it. I promise to resolve this thing in the next few chapters after which there will be a chapter or so to round things off before I start on a sequel. Not sure what it will be called but I will hopefully have decided by the time I finish this. Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews and constructive criticism welcomed.**


	17. Next Generation: Chapter 17

**Kajos: Right, because this finishes this story off a bit, or at least ends all the really confusing stuff thats hard to write and follow I'm going to update quickly. I want to get this out of the way before I go insane trying to think of an easier way to do it, or it gets over thought in my head and becomes more complicated...which is how it ended up here to start with. Hope you enjoy it. **

They arrived on the storage level and ducked straight into a room. James rubbed his forehead where a head ache was starting. Then again he didn't know why he cared since his whole body was in agony from his earlier beating. Where it not for possibly deadly amounts of adrenaline flooding his system he would have passed out by now. He had shaken off the others telling them he was fine. He SF uniform wouldn't pass most likely at this point since the sleeve was streaked with blood rubbed off his face.

"You sure your alright James?" Cassy asked. James nodded but could tell the doctors daughter wasn't convinced. Luckily Rya'c who had his ear to the door called the all clear at that point and they moved out again. Their long stay in the surveillance room had it seemed had thrown their pursuers off the scent. They ducked in and out of rooms moving ever closer to the server room as James' headache slowly got worse and worse, he became dizzy and light headed the nearer they came.

_"James you need to stop. Your about to collapse. Your no help to them like his. Just stay in here when they move on." Jack told him, unlike those in his party Jack and Daniel had their full attention on James and could see him falling apart. _

"No." James grunted and they left and made a corridor in one run. One of their quickest moves on that floor that seemed to be ruthlessly patrolled. "Right," James said trying to cover up his own issues. "Server room is just around the corner. They are as we saw in on the camera at least two guards outside the room and we will have to take them down as quickly as possible and as quietly. Then hopefully they won't have moved and will be alone in the room. Don't shoot the girls, we have no idea what that might do. Just take out anyone else you can and remember we need to get control of them in hopes of reversing this."

"You do not appear to be well James McGuyver. Perhaps it would be better if you were to stay behind." Rya'c voicing the concerns of the whole group.

"I'll be fine." James sneered and went to the door. "Ready." They all nodded. He nodded back and opened the door.

James head seemed to explode as they rounded the corner approaching the room outside of which stood the two girls. Rya'c and Jack took down the Guards with their zats While James walked forward his zat slipping from his hand. Dizzy with pain and fatigue he couldn't top himself as he collapsed to his knees in front of the women. He could vaguely hear voices.

"James!"

"_Get up James!"_

"_Whats wrong with him?"_

"James, bad time!"

Slowly the world swam around him as there became nothing but pain and he blacked out.

James head dropped from where it had been staring up at the girls and he took a deep breath pushing to his feet all waviness and bad balance gone, he stood like a prince, wholly confident in himself. He looked at the girls and starred. Not a word was said as it became obvious that he was doing something. _Suddenly they started to be able to see two shapes of the girls that came through the gate. They became clear as day and at the same time an image began to appear around James. Light almost not there, like a trick of the light as two great limbs extended from his back and belittled the women and his whole being seemed to glow. _James looked wrong the air around him seemed to move around something they couldn't see. Just sense like there was something there and he gave off an aura of power that sent shivers down all there spines. _Then suddenly it was gone and __they found they selves scattered through out the base back in their bodies. _Cassy, Rya'c and Jack watched as the girls collapsed suddenly like puppets with cut strings and James turned and walked to the wall slipped down it and leant his head on the wall. Then he closed his eyes and stopped moving.

For a moment no one did anything unsure what was going on, then Cassy rushed to James side pressing two finger to his neck for a pulse before sighing in relief as she felt one solid and strong.

On finding himself in his office Daniel sped to the lift heading for where he had left his charge. He let out a frustrated sigh as the doors opened on the way down but couldn't stay annoyed as Dr Fraiser, Jack and Hammond all stepped in and just looked at him. As soon as the doors opened on the right level they were out and running. It took them no time at all to reach the server room but as they turned the corner Jack's clone, Rya'c and Cassy all turned pointing zats at them.

"Whoa there people!" Hammond said and they all stopped. "We're back to normal. Stand down." He ordered.

"Jack?" asked his clone.

"It's me."

"Sure, what's the secret ingredient in your secret ingredient pancakes?"

"Beer." The clone shrugged and dropped his zat.

"Yeah, thats them." As soon as they lowered their weapons Fraiser moved to James side checking him over Daniel not far behind and hovering. Jack moved to look over Cassy and Rya'c. Teal'c and Daniel were not far behind them and arrived in the next few minutes. Reporting that the entire base was in upheaval trying to work out what had happened.

"I'm going to need a stretcher down here." Janet said.

"What's wrong?"

"You mean other than a serious beating, broken ribs, internal bleed and the fact that he's unconscious and non-responsive?" Her sarcasm kicking in.

"Please, Janet."

"Look, I don't want to say a thing until I've run a whole panel of tests and for that matter got an MRI."

"Well, I think it's best we regain order of this base. Teal'c, Major Carter would you be so kind as to see that these other three young people find their way to the infirmary for a check up followed by one of the VIP rooms for some well earned rest.

"Will do, sir." Sam said smiling a little and herding the kids away as a stretcher came through for James.

"Sir, I would like to stay with James if that possible." Daniel asked hesitantly.

"Of course, son." He said sympathetically. He and Jack watched as the other three left in the lift with the stretcher before Hammond turned to his second in command. "I don't know about you Colonel but I'm glad that young man was on our side but I want to know how much he knows and where he's learnt it from. I want you to take a closer look at his past, ask some questions, dig about a bit. I understand he's picked up skills over time but lets see if we can narrow down what it is he's picked up."

"Yes, sir. I'll get right on it and have Carter help me if that's okay with you."

"Of course. I'll be leaving the debrief until this place is back in order and the boys awake and fit for it"

"I think that would be wise sir."

**Kajos: Thats the end of the confusing stuff though I think as of the next chapter I'm going to think of a nickname for Jack's clone just to make it simpler to distinguish with out calling him the clone.**


	18. Next Generation: Chapter 18

**Kajos: I'm not sure there will be a sequel now, think instead, I shall just continue with this story as it doesn't really have a good place to end it and start another. Enjoy the update and any feedback on whether there should be a sequel or just continue is welcome.**

"Look Sam, we just want to see how he is."

"I'm sorry Jack. I know you two are worried but Janet's still running tests and until she's finished she doesn't need you two under foot." Jack's clone yelled in frustration. "I know this is hard for you both but the base is in chaos and it's going to be awhile so just chill, relax and wait, please." Sam pleaded. They gave in, returning to their assigned rooms while Sam went to check on every one in the infirmary.

Daniel was asleep in a chair next to an empty bed. Sam watched for a minute until Janet came up beside her.

"I had them take James for x-ray. He hasn't left his side and needed the sleep so we thought we should leave him there." She said softly.

"How is he?" She said turning to look at the doctor.

"James or Daniel?"

"Which ever."

"Well James is still asleep, hasn't stirred at all, which has me baffled seeing as his head appears to be fine. The rest of him, well it's phenomenal, he's mostly healed from his beating, all his bones have started to knit already."

"The General has us checking his past. Somethings don't add up." Sam hinted.

"James checks out if thats what you want to know, so far there are a few oddities but nothing impossible." Sam just nodded.

"Daniel?"

"He's tired and worried half to death. He's being a parent Sam. Thats all."

"He's grown so attached to James. So quickly."

"Daniel see's himself in James. He went through a lot of homes after he lost his parents. He doesn't want that for James. He wants James to have a family, people to sit by the bed side and all that."

"Well, make sure he eats will you."

"I will." They both headed back to work.

* * *

Jack stood with his face in his hands as the lift doors closed. This made no sense at all. None of it. He would call it impossible except that the evidence proved otherwise and he tried not to use that word. What did they do about this? It was like having a handful of pieces from five different puzzles. He reached Carters office she looked up from her computer in hope, only to see him shake his head.

"We'll have to tell the General." The Major stated.

"I know"

"He'll have to do something."

"I know."

"But sir..."

"I know, Carter! I know..." They were both still for a moment in thought before the Colonel turned to leave expecting Carter to follow him before he paused. "Should we tell Daniel first?"

"I don't think so, sir. He wouldn't be able to listen to us objectively." Jack nodded and lead the way to their CO's office.

"Come in." Hammond looked up as they entered the room "Colonel, Major. You've found something I take it."

"In a manner of speaking, sir." O'Neill said cryptically.

"What does that mean Colonel?" The General asked leaning forward.

"We've found nothing, sir"

"Why are you here then?"

"No, sir." Carter clarified "We found nothing. James McGuyver doesn't exist before the moment he met Daniel Jackson."

* * *

They sat around the briefing table waiting as the two senior officers and the CO finished their discussion in the office before proceeding out.

"Thank you for coming so quickly Ladies and Gentlemen. We believe we might have a security breach on our hands."

"As requested by the General myself and Major Carter have been investigating the origins of James McGuyver. We discovered that he doesn't exist on any computer system, we have a birth certificate for him but the details on it don't match anything on any record system, nothing even close. He has no medical records, dental records or security agency records despite what was said by that British agent. He appears to be the only one with any knowledge of the boy and is looking into why no one else remembers or has any record of him over there. Given all this we started to work on other leads trying to contact his past carers, half of them don't exist and the over half have never hear of a James McGuyver or fostered a child. We even went so far as to check out the Will, it makes no mention of James at all."

"Faced with all that we decided we would have to try for something we were certain about, James was in childcare services before Daniel took responsibility of him. I looked at their computer files though and found nothing so the Colonel went to visit them.

"They had no memory of James, no paper records of him and when I checked the security camera footage it showed Daniel leaving with him but there was no film of him entering the building or being anywhere else in that building ever." Jack finished.

"As you can see people, this a very concerning situation." Hammond said gently, knowing that many people around the table thought highly of the boy.

"Sir, to clarify...are you saying the James is a spy?" Daniel said disbelievingly.

"I wish that was all I had to say, Dr Jackson, but unfortunately Dr Fraiser has found further information that is vital to the issue." They all looked at the small woman as she stood up.

"Well, James McGuyver is human, every indicator says as much but he is not...I don't even know what the correct word would be. The first and most obvious difference is that his body is healing twice as fast as expected. Bones are knitting already and bruises are rapidly fading, despite this he hasn't woken up yet. So, I ran a scan on his head, his brain activity is twice that of a normal human when awake. So finally when I needed x-rays of his broken bones I got a whole body x-ray just to be sure he hadn't already mostly healed something and I'd missed it. The results where amazing. James McGuyver we all knew was skilled at martial arts and an active person. He has never broken a bone in his body, not even a toe before this incident. Thats riduiculas but possible of course, the final thing I found was that his skull. It's one complete bone mass. Now in a human the skull actually has a split down the middle where it has growned together after birth, before which it is soft to allow us to exit the birth channel. James doesn't have this. There's only one other person I've ever seen with that who was human, and that is Colonel O'Neill's clone."

"So James is a clone?" the said teenager asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't explain the rest of my findings, all I can reliably say is that he was never born."

"As you can see everyone, we have no idea what we are dealing with. For now I'm suggesting the boy be isolated and restrained. Unless anyone else has an idea."

"Sir if you wish him restrained that could be difficult, we already know he can quiet easily escape our restraints."

"That's true."

"Sir, what if James doesn't know about any of this?" Daniel asked.

"What do you mean Dr Jackson?"

"What I mean is I've been living with him for months now. He has never shown any sign of lieing."

"That doesn't mean anything if he's good enough Daniel." Jack pointed out.

"I know that Jack, but what if he's like your clone."

"Hello I am here!"

"Sorry, but still, he might not have any idea about any of this. He might truly believe he's lived with these people and been these places."

"He has a point, sir" Carter said "If he was unconscious of all this then there's no need to restrain him."

"And how are we supposed to find that out, Major?"

"I believe we still have a Tok'ra lie detector do we not General." Teal'c said.

"Yes, sir, we could just ask him. If he thinks he's telling the truth we will be certain of it with that device."

"Alright, Major you have a go as soon as he wakes up. In the mean time I want him placed in an isolation room just in case. Dismissed." Every one began to move.

"Hey." Jack said to his clone.

"Yeah."

"A word please." He said with a serious look that told the younger Jack that this was not going to be a good word and probably had something to do with why he wasn't in school and was wanted by the police.

**Kajos:Well there you go. James ain't completely normal. Next update, when I get round to it. Please review. **


	19. Next Generation: Chapter 19

**Kajos: Here goes the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Should be interesting.**

James slowly floated back up. He could feel the dull ache of his body and the heaviness of the eye lids he began to lift.

"James?" A voice asked happily.

"Daniel?" He cracked out his dry throat before he felt a straw pressed to his lips and took a sip of water opening his eyes slowly. He was lying on his back.

"Hey it's good to see your awake at last." James nodded but his chin hit something and he realised his neck was strapped to the bed. As he took stock he realised he was restrained to the table.

"You're bastards the lot of you." He croaked at Daniel who looked shocked and confused as Fraiser entered the room.

"James, I need you to tell me how you feel." She said gently. Neither of them spotted the boys thumbs dislocate.

"I'm fine and you can drop the act." He sneered as far as was possible. Janet looked confused.

"I don't know what your talking about young man but a lot of people round here have been very worried about you." He laughed. _Yeah they should be worried_ he thought. He turned his head to see he was in an isolation room. Janet was looking at his monitor while Daniel just seemed to be waiting until suddenly a fist struck him in the face breaking his nose. James threw himself side ways tearing off the neck restraint and his other wrist. Janet was out the door and had locked it before he could undo his feet. He was already looking for some way to pick the lock as Janet called for someone to bring a sedative. Daniel stood having recovered from the shock of James breaking his nose.

"James, you need to calm down. We're trying to help you."

"Do I really look that thick?" Daniel looked hurt.

"Is it really so hard to believe we care about you?"

"YOU'RE NOT DANIEL!" The boy roared at him and suddenly it all made sense just as Janet opened the door and zatted the boy. She had him lifted back onto the bed before injecting a sedative.

"Well, that went well." Was all Janet said as an orderly began to redo the restraints.

* * *

Jack looked at his younger self, who stared back at him.

"A gun? Where the hell did you get a gun?" He suddenly burst out.

"That police report is a complete load of bull!" The teenager protested

"Really! So you didn't knock a guy unconscious and hold him at gun point?" Sarcasm pored from the Colonel.

"NO! Why the hell would I do that?" The adult stopped considering this point.

"Fine what did happen?" Jack said calmer with his young self.

"I was walking home after hockey practise guy tried to mug me, pulls a gun. I reacted neutralised the gun knocked the guy out and took control of the gun. As I was taught."

"No. As_ I_ was taught. You were supposed to keep a low profile!" He said raising a finger.

"Look, I did my best. The fact is we have black ops training and there is only so much you can explain away."

"How did you end up here though?"

"My foster family freaked. Since I turned 16 they don't have to look after me. They were already a bit freaked by me; I started having the nightmares again. When the whole thing happened they chucked me out. I had no where else to go."

"The nightmares started again?"

"Yeah. There was some kid at school, he blew his own brains out and then all I could think about was…" The Colonel just nodded.

"Okay, well for now this is getting really confusing have two Jack O'Neill's around. So you can be Jon, I'll be Colonel Jack."

"Hey, how come you get Jack?"

"Because I'm older and it's mine originally." Jon just looked offended as Jack opened the door and herded him back towards his room. "Scoot." That earned him a glare.

* * *

They were stood in the infirmary, Jack having joined them after his talk.

"He reacted violently, just to waking up?"

"Think about it Jack," Daniel said, "He was unconscious when we arrived on the seen, he's been asleep ever since. As far as he knows we're all still the body snatchers trying to fool him."

"Okay, so how do we convince him we're us?" Jack accepted.

"That's what we're trying to work out." Janet said. They stood in pensive silence.

"What about the kids?" The two intellectuals looked at him. "Well, they were immune. If one of them talks to him when he wakes up, he'll know it's okay." Janet nodded and looked at Daniel.

"He's right. That would work. Go ask Cassy."

"Um…why Cassy? I would have thought Jack would make more sense." Jack raised a hand to interrupt.

"We've agreed that he's Jon for now to avoid confusion."

"Fine, I would have though Jon would have been a better choice."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well…He and Jon have spent more time together, they're closer in age…well in a sense. That and Jon's younger, therefore even more trustworthy in this situation."

"Fine, whatever. Just get one of them down here before we have another re-enactment of the great escape." Janet said raising her hands.

* * *

James was once again waking. This time though he was aware of the threat and able to keep his pulse and breathing as though he were still sleeping. He listened to the room. He could tell there were two people neither were close though as he dislocated his thumb. Suddenly someone moved and placed a hand gently on his.

"James, it's alright, everyone's back to normal." He heard a young voice say. He opened his eyes in surprise to see Jack. "Hey, look. Everyone's back in their own heads. The reason for the restraints is just that you've been a bit violent while you've been healing, said some stuff. We need to run some tests, okay?" James studied his face and knew he was lying but desperately asking for his trust.

"Could you put my thumb back for me?" He asked unable to do it himself.

"Sure." Jack said tugging the digit back into place with no more than a blink of pain from the boy used to the feeling. Janet moved closer to the bed.

"Right I just want to ask you a few things and run a few checks now your awake. After that I can let you get up but we need you to go with Sam and some of the guards so they can talk to you for a bit."

"What's happening Dr Fraiser?" James asked a hint of fear in his voice.

"I'm sorry James I'm not allowed to say but I promise, no ones going to hurt you. Just questions." James nodded before submitting to her tests.

As she finished up Sam entered. Jack had stayed the whole time sat next to him. He checked with the other teenager.

"It really is Sam, James." Sam smiled at him.

"Don't worry, McGuyver. I just want to ask you some stuff. You've got us all worried by how easily you got round our security. We just want to talk about where you learnt all that so we can make sure there isn't a threat to us." James sat up as he was unstrapped and swung his legs over the side of the bed having to be caught by young Jack and Sam as his legs gave out. "Give it a minute James, you've been lying down for a few days."

"Can I get some clothes?" James asked feeling uncomfortable in the hospital scrubs.

"As soon as we've talked." Sam promised.

**Kajos: Well there it is…sorry, it'll be a while before the big reveal of what he actually is. You'll just have to keep reading in the mean time.**


	20. Next Generation: Chapter 20

**Kajos: Well, here's… something, not sure what just felt like I should possibly get this bit done.**

Sam took him to an interrogation room Jon supporting his other side. He sat down in front of the table. There was something sat on it.

"What is that?" James asked pointing to the machine, "I mean other than Gould."

"Tok'ra actually." Jon said.

"This is just a sort of detector, it tells us if there are any influences on your brain. We just want to be sure considering the recent events." James nodded obviously not believing a word of it. "I just need to attach this." she said leaning forward and pushing something into his forehead. Jon went to leave.

"Wait!" James called.

"You want me to stay?" James just nodded and Jon glanced up to check with Carter who nodded that it was fine. Carter switched the machine on and picked up the clipboard of questions they had decided on earlier. James stood against the wall and watched Sam looked at the laptop displaying the machines feed for a moment before turning it off and back on again. A little frustrated she turned to James.

"Right, we just need to start with some basics to calibrate the machine up. How old are you?"

"Sixteen." James replied.

"And where were you born?"

"London, UK."

"What nationality were your parents?"

"American and British."

"Where are they now?"

"They're dead."

"How old were you when they died?"

"Four."

Sam watcher the screen the whole time getting more and more confused when Frasier stuck her head into the room.

"I'm concerned by these results, I'm going to connect James up neural activity monitor." James looked a bit worried.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, one thing we're using that machine to look at is if your brain is working normally, we wanted to check after you were able to communicate with us."

"So what's wrong?"

"Well the readings are confused, like they're trying to do too much at once, they're fluctuating between extremes and I want to see if we can spot anything on from your brain waves that might explain this." Some medics arrived with the equipment and it was attached to James' head.

Screen started to show normal brain waves. His Beta waves were up a bit high but he was anxious so that was to be expected. Same started to ask questions.

"So what happened to you after your parents died?

* * *

Daniel cringed at the answer.

"I spent a week at with my brothers family before he decided he couldn't cope and took me to my Aunts." James thought he had a brother.

"Have you seen much of your brother since?"

"There's a twenty year age gap between us so we were never that close and no, I haven't seen him since." A brother he thought had abandoned him, no wonder he was so closed off, Daniel suddenly felt honoured by how much the boy had opened up to them all.

"And how long where you at your Aunts?"

"Just until my parents funeral a few days later, when I said to her that I didn't want to go and that it was pointless because they were just bodies she couldn't stand to look at me anymore." Hearts broke around the room for this kid, for the dead pan voice in which he remember his youth.

"And where geographically were you then?"

"England. I started school there and didn't come over here till I was nine."

"You barely have a british accent at all."

"My father's brother didn't like it, he thought it sounded stuck up."

"So you lost the accent?"

"Eventually." He said with out elaboration, Daniel knew why from the determined look on his face. He had fought his way through foster care and come across some rather unpleasant characters. At least his hadn't been his family.

"How big is your family James?"

"Not huge, sometimes the people weren't family, just friends of my previous carers."

"Did you think of running away at all?"

"I did when I was ten my Uncle handed me off to a friend of his that worked on the docks near by, after two weeks as a slave I ran off. Stayed in a few places then the police picked me up and I was sent back to my uncle."

"How did your uncle react?"

"He wasn't happy." Daniel knew they had to do this, go into the little details eat away at things they could check like police involvement. It didn't make it pleasant.

* * *

Frasier was baffled. James had high Beta and high Delta wave activity as well as Theta wave. That made no sense. It was like part of him was talking to them and the other part was off having a dream. She stopped Carter mid question and thought for a moment, some of the waves were odd shapes as well.

"I just want to try something." She carefully changed the settings on the monitor to one she normally used for hosts that separated different consciousnesses. Suddenly there is was a normal brain wave pattern and a second one at a lower frequency. Both she and Carter stared at the screen. Jon looked between them.

"What exactly does that mean?" James looked at him confused as he was.

"Well…" Frasier struggled to find words. " James when I did some scans when you were asleep I found that you had far more brain activity than you should have and I think I just figured out why."

"If this is what I think it is" Sam said looking to Frasier for conformation "then there is more than one consciousness in your head."

**Kajos: That's it for this one but I might write some more and do another chapter.**


	21. Next Generation: Chapter 21

**Kajos: I know it's been weeks since I last up dated and it was a bit of a cliff hanger but I promise I am working towards the answer and there will be more info in the next few updates.**

James was bored out of his mind. It seemed like he'd watched every episode of every TV show ever burned to DVD. Played every board game in existence and mastered most of the computer games on the planet and cried more water than he though was in his body.

He knew why he was stuck in the VIP room. The General couldn't risk what he might do, what the thing in his head might do. He had to be confined, but it didn't make it easier. His only saving was all his visitors. Daniel had taken to working in his room. The Colonel, Sam and Teal'c also came for poker games and such quiet often or sometimes just to sit and talk. Cassy came most weekends and brought something new and different, or even just brought her college work and they would look over it together. Rya'c had gone back to the resistance though so he didn't see him. He was rapidly getting ahead on his schoolwork after Daniel had declared him home schooled and got all the people on base to tutor him.

He even saw Jack…Jon every now and then, he hadn't been able to settle in with a new foster family yet and was constantly coming back to spend nights on base between families. Apparently his last few families had been in Colorado Springs just so they wouldn't have to organise complicated transport. The best thing about seeing Jack was that he snuck him in beer and other items he was unable to get from others.

James was starting to become resigned to the idea after three months that he wasn't going to be able to leave his cell any time soon. He didn't want to hurt anyone. In here he couldn't.

* * *

As Hammond ended the briefing Jack and Daniel remained in their seats.

"Is there something you two wish to discuss with me?"

"Yes, sir." Daniel said hesitantly. "I know we've had this conversation a hundred times but sir, we can't just leave him in there. Surely we can at least allow him to leave the room."

"Dr Jackson you know the position on this. We have been given two options. James McGuyver has been marked as a hostile. Now we can either keep him contained on base with the proviso that he has no access to classified information, a condition that we are stretching as is. Or I can hand the boy over to the NID to care for and I don't think any of us want that."

"Sir, there has to be something we could do. The kids 16. He's going stir crazy down there. At this rate He'll finish school in two months. He hasn't even noticed how far ahead he is. Even Frasier's worried, apparently he's developing unhealthy sleep patterns."

"I am aware of the problem Colonel but right now we just don't have any other viable options."

"What if we could prove he's not a threat?"

"Well that would change everything. I case you haven't noticed Major Carter and Dr Frasier have been trying just that for the last three months, unfortunately what ever else is in there with him doesn't want to walk and we have no way of forcing a consciousness inside someone's brain to do anything."

"The Tollans do." Jack said suddenly realising.

"Yes! I can't believe we haven't thought of this before. The Tollan are able to give the host control over their body and a voice. I realise it's not the same thing but it's worth a try!"

"What exactly are we getting at here boys?"

"Well the Tollan might be able to force the second consciousness to take control of the body." Daniel paraphrased.

"Sir, permission to contact the Tollan?" Jack requested.

"Granted." The General said relieved that they were finally getting somewhere. He had visited with James a few times and he was a good boy. He hated seeing him stuck underground in a room for the rest of his life or worse in a cell being interrogated.

* * *

Jon jumped out the car and slouched up to the checkpoint. He pulled his pass out his back pocket and spent the normal twenty minutes waiting for the guard to verify if a teenager seriously had higher clearance than he did. Finally he was allowed into the mountain and rode the elevator down to the bottom floor before heading quickly for the next check point, he was tired of being stopped in the corridor and dragged of somewhere while people went through the security check again when he knew he would have another one on reaching the check point out side the SGC elevator.

Eventually he reached his floor and proceeded to ditch his kit in one of the guest rooms that was rarely used by anyone else. He then headed through to see Hammond and tell him he was back. He knocked on the door.

"Jon, what was it this time?" The boy sat down in front of him.

"Husbands a gun nut. Got pissed with me when I pointed out he was going to get his family killed if he didn't store them properly."

"Jon you need to find some where you can stay."

"I know sir but it's hard. It's hard being treated like an unruly 16 year-old when I can remember dressing down people older than them."

"Well, I assume you've dropped your stuff in your room?"

"Yes, sir. I was going to go see James if that okay with you?"

"Yes, yes that's fine."

"Are we any closer to a solution for him?"

"We are in fact. We're talking to the Tollan. They believe they might be able to assist us. Currently we're just sharing information but we could be able to take him through in a few days."

"Any chance of tagging along if I'm still around the place?"

"Missing it that much?" Jon shrugged.

"I feel like I've been grounded a lot of the time. I can't fly, I can't fight, I can't vote. It gets to me some times."

"I'll think about it Jon."

"Thank you sir."

"Now go see McGuyver, the boy could use all the friends he has." Jon smiled and left heading for the VIP room. He never bemoaned his friend's better accommodation. He didn't have to spend every second in his.

James was sat on the couch playing COD when he arrived.

"Hey." He said sitting next to him.

"What was it this time?"

"Ghastly gun guy."

"How bad?"

"Kept a loaded shot gun in the coat cupboard. And kept his bullets in the pantry." James made a sympathetic sound. Jon shrugged.

"It's stupid anyway. I turn 17 in what six months, after that I'm turned out anyway."

"Not, true. SGC will pay for college or somewhere to stay."

"I don't know. Maybe I should just go to the academy." James paused his game and turned to Jon.

"I thought you wanted to do something different with your life?"

"I do…it's just I miss it. I've travelled to other planets, James. I've been out there. I can't forget all that. I'm never going to be happy just settling down to a desk job. I want to be back here." James smiled at that. "What? What are you smiling at?"

"You've been playing dumb so long you've got yourself convinced, Jack. You don't need to go back into the military to come back here. Loads of people work here who aren't military." Jon shook his head. [AN: James refers to Jon as Jack and Jack as the Colonel]

"Yeah, some of the smartest people on earth."

"Jack. If you got yourself a degree in astrophysics, or even engineering or anything even remotely relevant they'd hirer you. Those skills combined with what you already know about what's out there in the universe, what you know first hand."

"You think?"

"Yeah, Jack. You'd be brilliant."

"What about you? Rate your getting through work you'll be heading to College soon. What are you going to do?"

"Not sure. I mean before all this." He indicated the room. "I always thought I'd go into computer security. You know do a course at some community college and then get a job somewhere and spend my weekends hacking the pentagon. Now I don't know."

"You could still do that."

"Yeah, giving the possible hostile the ability to crack security systems all over the world is a great idea."

"To late for that. Anyway I hear someone's had an idea and they might be getting you out of here."

"Really?"

"Yeah, some guys we met a while back. The Tollans. They think they might be able to help apparently. And anyway, you should be aiming higher than some desk job. You're a damn near Genius."

"Only because thanks to my brain partner I'm apparently accessing a larger proportion of my brains processing power than most people."

"Still, your smart. I mean I know Carter would hirer you to work here as it is if she could."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, unfortunately the guys at the top get picky with her about people having at least a masters."

"I could do that. Computer science or something."

"You should. You might even get to go off world."

"Now that would be good. I mean I imagine the stargate travel itself is rather underwhelming as experiences go but the chance to see new cultures and technology…that would be great."

"God, you're like Carter and Daniel rolled into one."

"Hey, I'm not that bad and unlike them I'm not going to try and explain it to you because I know you understand" Jon shoved him.

"Anyway, what you playing?"

"COD."

"Want to play some Co op?"

"Always."

**Kajos: Big reveal starts next chapter. Hope you like this little interlude. Please review. **


	22. Next Generation: Chapter 22

**Kajos: Here it is. Enjoy it. I'm just glad I finally get to write this. **

The two teenagers entered the briefing room followed by the armed guard and sat at the table with SG-1, the General and the bases CMO.

"James. How are you?" Hammond queried.

"Good, thank you sir." He said politely. Hammond just nodded.

"Well good news is we have some allies that might be able to help you"

"They're called the Tollan. Actually it was Jack's idea. Do you want to explain it?" He said looking at the air force general.

"Nah, Danny. You take this one."

"Okay, well we met the Tollan back when we first opened the gate and though they have been very wary of us in the past due to our primitivity we were at one point invited to over see and take part in a trial there between a Goauld and a host that was a friend of ours. They had a device that gave control to the host. We have talked to them and they believe that this technology or something similar can be used to give control to your other personality. Not permanently of course but for long enough to allow us to assess whether they are a threat to us in anyway."

"And they would be willing to do this for me?" Carter smiled at James for his question.

"They would be delighted. They're quite interested in the chance to look further into the technology."

"So, James I've scheduled the mission for tomorrow. You will go along with Sg-1 and Jon to the Tollans planet and they will see what they can do."

"Jons coming as well?"

"Yes, well we thought it might be good to have someone go that wouldn't be on duty the whole time. That and the Tollans when asked said they would be interested in talking to Jon and if he agrees looking at his unique physiology."

"I will consider it sir," Jon said carefully, aware that this was one of the main reasons that he had been allowed on the mission in the first place.

"Is that all then sir?" Jack asked wanting to go prepare for facing a few days with the Tollans.

"Yes, I believe that will be all, Colonel."

"Fine, Daniel make sure McGuyver is kitted out for tomorrow. Jon…sort yourself." They all left with James following Carter from the room he in turn being followed by two airmen,

* * *

They stepped out of the smaller Tollan gate and were greeted by Narim.

"SG-1 it is good to see you again and these must be the clone Jonathan and the adolescent James." Both boys glared at him. He instantly understood that they were offended by his words.

"I'm sorry, do these terms offend you in some way." James stopped Jon from talking first with a glare.

"Jon has lived as he is now for two years, he is no longer a clone of the Colonel but an individual in his own right. He therefore dislikes the term clone. Also I dislike being reminded of that fact that my body is not yet fully mature as I feel I am capable of interaction with others on a mature and adult level and that is more important than my physical age." Daniel had briefed him sternly on diplomacy with the Tollan. Narim smiled at him.

"You speak well James and I apologise for any offence caused." He looked them all over. "Now, we should proceed. Our scientists are very much looking forward to meeting the two of you and SG-1 you are as always welcome to walk as you wish."

"I would quiet like to sit in if it's okay with James, to us the human mind is still a mystery and I would be interested to see what your scientists are ding though it doubt I'll understand it." Carter said checking with James and Jack.

"I to would like to stay with James. He is my responsibility." Daniel said as well.

"I expected as much Samantha and Daniel. They are expecting you. O'Neill will you and Teal'c be wishing to join us as well?"

"Actually, I will be keeping an ye on this miscreant." He said pointing to his clone "Teal'c feel like tagging along?"

"I would O'Neill."

"Well in that case if you will all follow me?" He nodded and turned to walk towards the building to one side of the gate. Narim explained it to be there research facility that also was akin to a university to their people. On entering they were met by several people.

"If James, Daniel and Samantha would come with me and Garron, " He indicated to a younger man with blond hair, "we will proceed to his lab. Colonel, Teal'c, Jonathan you may go with Kantar and Pollan to the medical centre, it will not take long for them to gather the data they require. Then I am sure they will be glad to direct you to where ever you may wish to go." The two people he indicated were a tall woman with grey hair and a soft face and a boy not much older than Jon himself whom he took to be a student. They went their separate ways and Jon followed reluctantly to the medical room. Jon really didn't like the idea of the Tollan's poking around in his DNA for the secrets of life.

"Jonathan, first we would like to thank you for agreeing to this. We will try to be as quick as possible for your sake. Now if you would lie on the bed we will begin the scans." Jon did as told lying flat on the bed.

"So doc what exactly is that bed thing going to do?"

"The bed does many things in this case though it is going to scan his bone structure so that we can compare the signs of growth with those of one naturally his age."

"I see." Jack answered actually still having no idea what was going on. The bed glowed briefly and the two doctors muttered. They scanned several more times in the same manner each time muttering for a while after. Teal'c stood by the door while Jack wandered.

"Will you cut that out." Jon complained.

"Cut what out?"

"The walking it's driving me insane. It's not like they're even staring at you and muttering."

"Hey! It's my DNA and I will walk as I please." The docs turned around and looked at O'Neill.

"In fact Colonel if it was not a problem we would be very grateful if we could scan you also for comparison." The Colonel stopped pacing and just stared at them.

"There you go Jack." James said jumping off the table before he could answer. "Help the nice doctors." Jack scowled at him and moved to the bed.

"You are so dead." Jack hissed at him. Jon just smiled as he watched the bed start scanning.

* * *

James sat and watched as they pulled something out of a case and held it up to him.

"This is the original device we designed to give the host control over it body." The scientist told him.

"But that's not going to work is it?" James asked.

"Most likely no. But we will try it just in case." He said handing over the silver device and indicating that he put it on over his head. As it sat on his shoulders the gem in the centre glowed green.

"It will take a moment to try and force control to the secondary consciousness." The blonde told him as he fiddled with some controls. After a minute or so the gem flickered before staying a strong green colour. As expected the device can not work with the secondary consciousness. Daniel and Sa watched as James removed the device and handed to back to Garron. "Now we try everything else."

**Kajos: well that it because this update is taking forever and going no where fast. I promise the consciousness speaks next chapter. Enjoy and review!**


	23. Next Generation: Chapter 23

**Kajos: Here it is. Mystery answered…well partially. Hope you enjoy it. I am attempting to improve on the number of typos and spelling errors but it is slowing down update speed.**

James had been sat for hours with the Tollan's prototype on his head, right through the return of Jon, Jack and Teal'c and the subsequent argumentbetween the colonel and his clone. The new devise consisted of a helmet constructed from strips of metal. On a screen to his left Garron had set up a display, a single colour to indicate who was in control of the body, James was green; the other consciousness was yellow. While Sam watched in fascination what Garron was doing Daniel and Teal'c were busy trying to convince Jack that the Tollan were not now going to create an army of Jack clones.

So Jon and James were left to talk.

"How's high school?" James asked,

"Difficult. I'm on some sports teams but most of the guys are jerks and while I'm doing quiet well at some subjects that's mostly because of doing them twice and having to have a basic understanding to work at the SGC. So I'm not really popular with the smart crowd either."

"Caught in the middle?"

"Just a bit. I mean I was all over the sports crowd when I was this age first time around but they really are idiots. And anyway I've only got to live with it for another year and a half so no biggy."

"Nice bright side there." James said his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Look whose talking, mister home schooled." Jon shot at him with a laugh, Garron interrupted before James could reply that they were going to test the device again.

"Ready?" Sam asked.

"And waiting for ages. Can we get on with it?" Sam simply nodded to Garron and the screen turned yellow. Sam and Garron cheered as James starred around in shock.

"No!" he shouted. "You have to stop!" The colonel stepped forward as he had been authorised to question the secondary consciousness if they were successful.

"Nice to meet you to, I'm Colonel O'Neill. What can we call you?"

"Nothing!" He was now starring panicked at his questioner. "I can not surface. He is not ready for the conjunction. He is too young." Jon a little freaked having not had to deal with these things in a while backed away from the person.

"That's not an answer. Name and what's this conjunction?" It starred around at everyone in the room.

"Please, you don't understand this will kill him…us." Daniel and Sam began to look uncomfortable.

"Name?" It gave up.

"I don't have one. I should never need one!" It said annoyed,

Daniel looked at Jack who shrugged and indicated for him to take over.

"So you take the name of your host?" Daniel probed.

"Host? There is no host. I am part of… I'm sorry I don't know what his name is."

"What's yours?" Jack countered.

"Jack, give him a chance. You said _he_ that implies there is a separation between him and you."

"There is now, but not always. I will become part of him."

"Well, you see that's the part you keep mentioning that concerns us. We need to know if you are a threat to the owner of that body or us. Perhaps if you told us what you are?"

"It will hurt him if I remain in control for much longer, I am as much part of this body as he… but I think… I understand what you're asking. This has never been an issue in the past never before has technology been advanced enough to discover me. I was not even aware I existed."

"That's possible, you were only showing up as not much more than a dream." Sam pointed out.

"Interesting." It said. "As to what I am…I am memory, this is just my most recent existence before the conjunction this information is pasted to the…child I think would be the best description through dreams. I am no more than an amalgamation of personalities and memories."

"Can you take control of 'the child' at will?" It winced at the implication of this question.

"No, if there is great enough danger the child may draw upon memories or knowledge that is part of me to help itself but this is only done in the greatest of dangers. Afterwards if the knowledge has not already been passed on in preparation for the conjunction it is forgotten." His voice was beginning to sound strained. "Please. This…it is damaging. The body and the mind are not ready for this yet."

"Okay, please give us just a little more time. When will this happen?"

"Four years. It takes four years for the body and mind to mature. The conjunction will happen then." He was gasping in pain now.

"The subject is in pain. I'm sorry, this stops now." Garron said pushing something so the screen went green and James screamed.

* * *

It took an hour or so for James to calm down and for the pain to fade. Either the switch back had caused a large increase in the pain or the other thing had a very high pain threshold. During this time Garron ran tests to see what the cause of the pain could be. So far nothing had been found as Daniel asked Jack to follow him into the corridor leaving Jon to support James while Teal'c stood by in a protective stance.

He indicated to Jack that they move away from the door and down the corridor some ways.

"We're not doing that again." He said firmly to the Colonel.

"What? We were sent here to assess if that thing is a threat to us. I haven't heard enough to do that yet. So as soon as James has recovered we're going to fire up that machine again. You saw we'd have at least a few minutes before he's in pain again." Daniel shook his head.

"No. I know what our mission is but I also know that I am responsible for James' well being and putting him through that again is not in his best interests. You heard it as well as I did. It can't take control at all unless James is in danger."

"And we only have its word to go on for that."

"I don't care Jack, unless you can assure me that James won't be in pain we are not activating that machine."

"Sir! Daniel!" Carter called from the doorway before walking over to them. "I think we've found something. James adrenaline levels are low." Both men looked at her blankly. "Both James and that other thing were in a lot of pain and scared. His adrenaline levels should be pretty high due to the fight or flight reflex."

"And this means?" Jack said waving his hand in a go on gesture.

"Well…the thing it said it can be accessed when 'the child' as he put it is in extreme danger. Right? Well if James were in a lot of danger then it's safe to assume he would have a large amount of adrenaline in his system." A light bulb seemed to light up over Daniels head.

"Are you saying that accessing that things is eating through James adrenaline?"

"That exactly what I'm saying. If safely accessing it uses adrenaline then, well, James was calm and relaxed before we activated the devise. There would have been very little of it in his system at the time."

"Cut to the chase here Carter." Jack said.

"If we were to make sure James adrenaline levels were high before activating the device it's possible that the thing would be able to talk with us with out whatever that was happening."

"How much would he need?"

"Well a lot. One dose could be dangerous to James. This thing was eating through it like crazy."

"Dangerous? Too much adrenaline could kill him." Daniel pointed out.

"We could avoid giving it all to him at once. If we used a drip then we could monitor the amount in his blood stream with the Tollan's technology and make sure there as a regulated amount in his blood stream."

"So it would be safe?" Jack asked.

"Reasonably."

"Satisfied?" he asked looking at Daniel, who though about it for a moment.

"Fine. If James agrees then we'll try it but we stop the second he's in pain." The two members of the military nodded and the three returned inside to discus the new idea with the guinea pig.

* * *

James was pretty sure he had enough adrenaline in his system. This new approach with a needle stuck in his hand while he waited to effectively black out on command had him terrified. He'd had to be filled in on what had happened earlier and he wasn't sure about any of this. He'd agreed only because it seemed like something was going to happen to him over the next four years and he really wanted to know what.

Sam looked at him and he swallowed before nodding. Jack watched as his expression was transformed from fear to annoyance.

"I told you this would hurt us! You saw what happened!"

"Hey. We're not idiots." Jack said ignoring the look he got from Daniel. "We've come up with something we think might give us some more time or even prevent that completely."

"Why are you so determined to do this?"

"Because we need to know things. We need to know what were dealing with. Now explain this conjunction thing in detail."

"Currently we are human but after the conjunction we become something else. That requires preparation. To start with, nothing significant will happen for two years. At that point aging appears to stop completely and memories start to be transferred through dreams. Aging stops to allow growth of muscles and bone structure in reparation for the conjunction through not noticeably unless you're able to view the structure under the skin. There is very little pain, more problems normally occur with the mind. Many of the memories can be traumatic and overwhelming, in the past the child has not survived to the conjunction because they have ever been considered insane or taken their own life. Considering…what is his name?"

"James." Daniel offered ignoring Jacks glare.

"Considering James will be aware of what is happening there should be no such issue but it will be difficult often we struggle before and after with the memories intruding, I believe last time it was refured to as a flash back. The feelings and emotions of the memories are real and are experienced as though they really occurred to the child. He will live decades every night. It is unpleasant but nessecary in order for the conjunction to occur saftly."

"Why?" Jack asked.

"The conjunction is when James will become an adult of our species. I'm sorry, I have no name for us it was lost long before we came here. During the conjunction the body finishes its transformation and the mind must change with it. In a way he will be wiser than any before. The final change to the mind is the transfer of personalities, the minds of all are combined into one. James will still be James but he will also be everyone he has been before."

"Why do your people use this method? James wasn't born was he? So why grow why the need to develop like this?"

"You are correct, he wasn't 'born' my people die and at that point we change I takes decade of time but this is what we become it is like a metamorphosis cycle. We don't have children often, not of our kind. We return like this because it means we can learn. We are 'born with knowledge of a childhood and an education that matches our location and often we are only reborn when we find we are needed."

"How would you know?" Sam asked.

"I don't know I have no memory of the time in between but a long time ago it was suggested that when we are not here we are watching over this earth and that what we see is what goes towards the next childhood. A form of metal connection to the world around us as we sleep."

"It makes sense, James clearly had greater psychic ability than a normal human."

"So this conjunction. How changed will James be afterwards?" Jon asked.

"In the past it has only been small things, sudden change in eating habits such as changing likes or dislikes and the occasional habit, I have unfortunately been a compulsive nail bitter for thousands of years. Maybe I shall be lucky this time round."

"What about physically?"

"He will be very changed physically but he will be able to hide it from immediate notice but with modern medicine as it is he will have to be careful." Daniel looked to see if any of the others had any immediate questions.

"Is there anyway you could be able to make this change easier on James?"

"I do not know. It I have no control over the physical but I suppose t might be possible to start the memory transfer earlier. It would still take four years but he would not have to cope with as much at once. On the condition that James agrees."

"One last question." Daniel said looking closely at him as he asked. "Do you have any names in the past that we might recognise? As a form of character reference." He thought for a while on this.

"The name I have been best known of that has been remembered even till today and was given to me over several lives is Gabriel." Daniel was stunned.

"As in before Christ, Gabriel." Gabriel simply nodded and Garron turned off the machine. They all stood in silence as James looked at them.

"Well the adrenaline worked I see."

**Kajos: There you go. More explanation to come but that long update was the first meeting with Gabriel. I apologise to anyone who has any religious qualms about this but I would like to promise that this story does not discuss the validity of any religion nor does it explore God in any more significant way than the stargate series themselves do. **


	24. Next Generation: Chapter 24

**Kajos: Okay, this is the last chapter. I need some help with tow decisions at the end of this chapter. First, do I keep writing? Do you want a sequel because I have a plan to write three or four parts to this all of this length if people are interested for now it would just be if people want the next part though. The second is: Do I continue with it as part two of runs in the family and keep it all together as one story or would people preferred it if I start a sequel story? Keep it in mind as you read. **

James looked expectantly at the other six people in the room. His face slowly fell concerned by their silence.

"Could someone say something people? Your making me think I'm going to turn into an axe murderer." Jack looked at everyone else.

"Oh, nothing like that but I think we should probably leave it till the briefing. It's about time we went home." James looked incredulous.

"Come on! At least give me a hint." Jack and Jon smiled two identical shit-eating grins at him tipped their heads a little to the side before turning to leave. Sam just followed still shocked. Only Daniel said anything more to James as he removed the device.

"Don't worry, James, it's just a bit of a long story. Nothing to worry about." He said waiting for him before he joined the others heading for the gate.

"So, I'm not human." Everyone at the table looked awkward except Teal'c.

"You are still James McGuyver. This changes nothing."

"Thanks Teal'c." James said.

"Well, your also still human according to my equipment, but from what we now know that's likely to change over the next few years."

"I'm going to grow out of being human!"

"Calm down James. It's going to be years and there's nothing you can do about it." James didn't looked calmed by Daniels comment. "For now what we need to be looking at is what happens to you in the short term. The whole point in this was to establish if there is a threat to us in this situation."

"From what I've heard, I'm happy to say that for now there is no threat." Hammond stated clearly.

"Good, good. That's great! So that means you can leave the base and have a life again James. This is a good thing."

"Oh, yeah I get to slowly mutate over two years while being plagued with nightmares of a hundred other lives. Great, Daniel."

"Yes, well there is that. It's likely those dreams are going to start soon and from what he said they're likely to be unpleasant and result in terrors, flashbacks…"

"Me generally looking insane." Daniel had no argument.

"Given all that, it might not be the best idea for James to be allowed on his own, if he starts shouting about stuff and having flash backs, he could be dangerous to himself and others."

"Plus in a around eighteen months he's going to start changing physically, at that point we are need going to need to make certain he stays under infirmary care for all medical needs. We don't want him ending up under an x-ray in Colorado." Janet added.

"I thought you said this would mean I could have my life back." James complained.

"Wait." Daniel said sounding increasingly over the past weeks and months like a parent. "Basically James is going to need an escort. Someone with the ability to restrain him if necessary, protect him in case this reaches the ears of the Trust and help in a crisis but someone who also knows about the program, isn't going to stick out in a school and can stay with James while were out of town. Correct?" Daniel asked looking around the table. Everyone nodded.

"I think I see where your going with this." Jack said with a small smile.

"Jon how do you feel like having a job?" Daniel asked. "If it's okay with the general I think you would be the perfect candidate."

"I approve." The General said straight away. "he has the military training and I think it would do you good to have something to focus on to keep you out of trouble. Not to mention that the two of you have already shown yourselves to work well together." James was smiling a little relieved he wasn't going to be stuck with some air force bodyguard or just back in isolation.

"What do you think?" Jack asked his clone.

"I don't even have a home currently and no offence Jackson but I don't really want to move in with you."

"None taken." Dr Jackson said before giving jack a pointed look. The Colonel sighed.

"You can stay with me." Jon looked at him in surprise. "What? It makes sense. We can easily pass you off as my nephew it would be a secure place for James to be and I guess it would be nice to finally be able to get that dog." Carter and Jackson looked at him oddly. "It wouldn't work with the time we're off world but if he's around then I don't have to worry."

'Are you certain Colonel?" Hammond asked him. He looked closely at his clone.

"Jon's right. We're not the same people any more. No matter how similar we are I think I can cope with living with my self." The General looked at Jon.

"How about you, son? Would this be all right with you? The Colonel would be your legal guardian."

"Yeah, as long as he doesn't try and treat me like a kid."

"Only if I have to."

"You won't."

"I'd hope as much." Everyone else sat in tense silence for a moment.

"Well if that's sorted then I suggest you get yourselves organised. SG-1 your on stand down till next Wednesday to give you time to settle. As for you two It will be required that you report in for regular medicals and I expect reports on any incidents or events ascertaining to security."

"And I expect reports from you James on anything effecting your health. Your officially my patient now."

"I believe that's all. Dismissed." The Carter and the two O'Neill's stood as he left the room.

"You know you don't have to do that anymore." Jack pointed out to Jon.

"Force of habit." Jon shrugged. Carter grinned a James.

"Guess we better get you packed to go home then." He returned her smile ten fold.

"Definitely."

**Kajos: So the next part of this would be all about Jon and James' next few years as they finish school and James goes through his change. It would be about the same length again I think but covering a much larger period of time. Feedback is need on this. I would like to like those who have been reading this the whole way through. Particularly those who have reviewed and Ford B for keeping me writing. Thank you all and I hope to be writing another chapter soon. **


	25. Growing Up: Chapter 1

**Kajos: You said you wanted it so here it is part two. I decided just for ease to leave this as the same story.**

**So after a few months…**

**The story goes on.**

"I am so fed up with those buttheads." Jon said as he chucked his bag on the back seat and planted himself firmly on the drivers seat.

"I know Jack but you could just leave the team." James said from the Jeeps passenger seat. "Save me having to spend three hours a week freezing my arse off while you shout for passes."

"You could just get a lift you know." Jon pointed out the cause of on going argument.

"I'm not being taxied around by airmen Jack." Jack shrugged it was his choice. "I don't even see why I need supervision, why I can't have my own car or get the bus." James huffed and starred out the window.

"Because… those flashback things."

"Flashbacks from what, Jon? I'm not dreaming of other lives, I'm not going insane. I'm completely normal, or I would be if everyone would just back off." They'd had the same conversation a hundred times over.

"I'm going to go to summer school." Jon announced trying to change the subject. James looked round at that.

"Since when were you flunking anything?" Jon shrugged.

"I'm not but your going to have finished everything by next Christmas. You'll start college in the fall. You're almost a year ahead of me. If I go to summer school this year then I'll be finished in time to start with you." Jon explained. James just stared at him for a few minutes in silence.

"You don't have to. You'll be finished by then anyway. You don't have to go to college with me." Jon looked at him with a small smile.

"You'd rather have the USAF escort? Or have to go to college locally and stay at home? Cause I was thinking more along the lines of California, somewhere warm and suitably prestigious for you intelligence. If I'm going to make Berkley I'm going to have to go to summer school. I'm also thinking of asking Sam to help me out. Just with like a reading list or something."

"Your serious?" James asked eyes wide in surprise.

"Yeah, well… I figure your stuck till your what…"

"Twenty, apparently. The physical change will start in eight months when I turn eighteen-ish."

"And the memories will most likely start before that right? So in just over a years time when you're heading off to College your going to be in the midst of the change right. You're going to be all over the place James. You'll have to have someone with you. I want to go to college James. I want back in the Stargate program. So I'm going to take astrophysics. You deserve to have a friend around when you're going through this rather than some airman with orders who probably won't even let you piss on your own." James just sat in shock he hadn't even thought about college since he'd been told three months ago that he wasn't human but Jack was planning around him. He wanted to make sure James was okay.

"Thank you." Was all he had to say.

"What for?"

"For looking out for me." Jon grinned widely as he only did on occasion.

"No worries. That's what they pay me for." He said commenting on the fact that he was receiving a salary for his roll keeping an eye on James. He made quiet a bit but most of it went in to a trust to pay for him to go to college, some went to the Colonel to help pay for him to have Jon stay and the rest was Jon's. They'd even given him the car. It was an old air force jeep, which had been fitted with some extra toys, a panic button and a tracking device. Just in case. Jon and James lives were ruled by the fact that any day James would fall apart, or men with guns would come for the both of them and they would need all the help they could get.

As Jon pulled up outside the small-detached house Daniel had gotten while James had been living on base after he'd had a few different consciousnesses downloaded into his head he'd decided it would b better to live somewhere a little more detached from his neighbours. James reflected that this probably a good thing. Daniel had nightmares, it was sometimes quiet loud and he knew Daniel appreciated having more rooms to wander when he couldn't get back to sleep.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he leaned round to grab his bag out the back.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about the Hockey practises."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You love the ice. I can freeze my arse off every now and then." They both smiled and shook hands, grabbing each other by the wrist in the habit they had developed. James went straight in not looking back and Jon pulled off the driveway. It was a blessing to James that he was at least allowed to be alone in his own house. He'd had to fight for it though; it had taken a few weeks to convince the General that there wasn't anything that could go wrong in his own home. It would be a few hours before Daniel got back so his spent half an hour on homework before he loaded up COD and played for a bit.

It was a normal evening. James and Daniel cooked between them and talked. Daniel filling James in on when he was going to be off world and James asking how the team was. The Colonel was apparently going to become a general. Taking over from Hammond. Then they both went to bed.

* * *

He woke up gasping for air as his heart raced. It had happened again. Janet had died in front of him. She had only been gone a month but it had left everyone a little lost and dazed. Daniel though kept seeing here as he lay in the infirmary dieing but it always ended with their rolls reversed as he watched her slip away.

As he often did he found himself unable to sleep as thoughts swirled around in his mind. They had all lost a friend, Cassie had lost a mother, and it was hard to believe that someone else could replace the woman that had been like family to him for years. He wandered down the hallway having thrown on a t-shirt and some pants over his boxers. He heard movement in James room. The kid was normally a quiet sleeper, but he could here scuffling from inside the room. He didn't open the door before going to draw of the table in the corridor for a pistol. Gun in hand he opened the door and turned the lights on. Then breathed a sigh of relief as he scanned the room.

James was not in danger but he was twisting on his bed in distress. He mumbled in something other than English but clearly language. Daniel approached and knelt next to the troubled teen listening to the ancient language that fell from his lips.

"Shit." He said leaning back. It had started. Daniel had hoped for just a bit longer for James, he wanted him to be normal for just a bit longer. He'd known it was a lie even before. James was smart, ahead at school and he hadn't been alone in three months and for three months before that in what was effectively a cell. But Daniel still felt in someway jealous of him. When he was James age he'd been at college completely alone in the world and having to care completely for himself. James may have to deal with more than any other teenager on earth but he had family. He had all of them to help him through this. He wondered if he should wake the kid up. He didn't look like he was having fun, then again if what they'd been told was true then it wouldn't matter if he was woken tonight he would just have to go through it tomorrow.

Daniel could empathise in some way he knew what it was like to have someone else's life in his head and he knew that it must be a thousand times worse to live all those memories as though they were your own. He gently stroked the boy's head.

"We're all here. James, what ever happens." He said softly and left. In the morning he would ring Jon and tell him James wasn't going to school, he needed to take him to the mountain and get him checked as well s give Hammond a chance to talk to him. Then the day after that they would all carry on. As they always did.

**Kajos: Well there's the start. It will continue. I'd love to now what people think. So please review and thanks for reading.**


	26. Growing Up: Chapter 2

**Kajos: Well sorry the update took so long. I've been going back and giving some my older chapters a proof read. Can't make promises of the new chapters but I'm going to try to keep past chapters well checked.**

When James woke it was to a terrifying world and a new body. There was a box making a noise at him, he didn't understand it was freezing here and he was wearing something. Where was the tent and the rest of his family? The short dry grass poking out between the rugs the women made? This was all wrong. He shouted for one of the men as he had been told to, where he ever to get lost. He prayed one of his brothers or uncles or even his father would here him. But what if they came his skin was white like the dead and he was big. Bigger than possible. Suddenly there was a man, no, a boy, he had no beard but he was huge for a boy and pale like he was. His hair was short and the colour of their camels.

He grabbed him shaking him and he cried terrified of what was happening. The man was shouting something at him one word again and again. It sounded like G-ai-me-s, he had never heard it before. It was meaningless, but so familiar to him at the same time. He knew he had to remember that word. As he quietened trying to remember the boy said other things but he didn't not listen. Gaimes….Games no that was not it. The word was some how so important. It had a counter part something tat he could say in return, D…da…

"da-ne-nel?" He said slowly looking at the man/boy.

"Yes!" Daniel said pleased that he had finally got a response. "I'm Daniel. Your James." James seemed completely lost. Daniel had run into the room when he stared yelling at his alarm in what must be some derivative of Arabic but was impossible to pin down that quickly. James starred at him slowly trying to say his name as the fog seemed to clear behind his eyes like suddenly he remembered, understood.

"Dan-eel…Dani-eel…Dan-yell…Daniel."

* * *

"That's it James. Remember who and where you are. I'm here for you. Your safe, your at home." James almost leapt out of his skin as the doorbell rang. "I'll be right back." Daniel went to open the door.

"Hey." Said Jon.

"Sorry, I was going to call. James isn't going to school today." Jon looked confused.

"He sick?"

"No, he had a dream last night." Daniel sighed.

"A nightmare?" He asked hopefully.

"A memory. I need to get back to him. He didn't remember when he woke up." Daniel said indicating to the stairs.

"Can I help?"

"Well, I have to take him into the mountain but I've got to stay late to finish the translation, so it would be helpful if you could give him a lift later." Daniel said obviously anxious to check on James again.

"Yeah, I'll swing by after school." Jon said and left while Daniel returned to James.

"How are you doing?"

"Better. I remember English. That's a good sign I think. I remember your Daniel. You're good. I can't remember why but I remember that. I'm at home; this is my room. That's my alarm clock. It's coming back."

"Good. How quickly is it coming back?"

"Quite fast. That was the doorbell just now. Jack? He gives me a lift to school every day."

"So you're remembering as your reminded?"

"Guess so. I can remember what's happened. It's started Daniel."

"I know." He threw an arm around the still a bit freaked teenager. "You'll get through it though."

* * *

James knocked on Daniels office door.

"Oh, they let you go." Daniel said looking up from his translation.

"Yeah, theirs nothing wrong and I can remember everything once I start thinking about it. You know like you always know the information is there but you don't think it all the time. It's taking a bit of extra thought but it's still all there."

"What do the MRIs look like?"

"Even more drain activity but mostly in the memory part of my brain. I forget where, but that's not a symptom of anything I was just bored by that point. Anyway, since it's started I'm no longer allowed to be alone in the house apparently. I have to have people at least in shouting distance at all times. They said if what happens this morning happens a lot I could hurt myself or someone else at some point.

"Well, I asked Jon to give you a lift home in a bit when he was round this morning so I'm sure he can hang out till I get back."

"And when your off-world I can live on base and the airmen can drive me to school… I hate this Daniel." He hated not being trusted, not trusting himself. That was the worst thing, after that morning he could see why they didn't want him left on his own.

"Look, this is going to be hard James. I know that but we'll work it out. We'll figure out how to do this," James just stared at him.

"I'm just hoping I don't go insane before hand and don't tell me that can't happen. I know some of the others did and that I'm going to have to live through that at some point."

"You won't go insane. Because when you wake up it'll be a memory and there will be breakfast waiting." James grumbled at his optimism.

"It better be a full English." He said and walked out heading for his room that had been pretty much left for him since he still spent a good deal of time on base and was likely to spend more now thanks to the new never alone edict. Plus it was good if they ever had other kids on the base terrestrial or otherwise sounds weird but that was apparently more frequent an occurrence than one might think. Either way it had a desk and a cupboard full of old computer parts he was using to try and build himself a laptop. He worked on it for an hour or so before there was a knock on the door and saw Jon standing there.

"Having fun with the soldering iron?'

"When isn't a soldering iron fun?" He threw back and Jon held up a wad of paper.

"Assignments from all your teachers."

"Great, I get to revert to the mind of a three year old nomadic tribe member and do catch up homework all in one day." James snarked his British accent jumping to the fore when layered with sarcasm.

"I heard about the new rules."

"Your just full of happy subject choices today aren't you."

"I was thinking Daniel and Jack are almost always off world at the same time so instead of you having to stay on base or anything and since your actually capable of some thing close to healthy cooking we could stay together when they're not around at mine or yours." James looked at Jon.

"Sounds good."

"Also Jack would be a lot happier if he didn't have to leave me alone in the place since he's convinced I'm going to end up having a keg party." James laughed, at least that was one thing off his mind. He might have to spend some time on base what with medicals and tests and Daniel having to go off-world or on business trips on his own bu at least sometimes he'd just get to hang out with his best friend.

**Kajos: That's it hope you like. Please review.**


	27. Growing Up: Chapter 3

**Kajos: Back again. Wow, I'm becoming almost regular with the updates. The story continues…**

It was a few weeks before Daniel went off world. Hammond was in the process of stepping down and Daniel was helping organise things for the Atlantis expedition who were leaving soon. So James had a chance to settle into his knew life at least a bit. He'd set his alarm half an hour earlier so he could freak out and get to school on time. Daniel didn't shout at him now. He didn't scream so it was all right, in the other life, he was starting to get old and so now he just sort of went into over the top mortal terror mode. Daniel generally left him for the first half an hour then came in with some Tea. After that he got up and sorted himself out.

He was almost normal by the time Jon turned up and so far he hadn't done anything at school, which was great, role on the good times he said. Jon hadn't even had to see him weird out yet. He didn't want to be a freak and so far that was going well. He had got the wrong language once or twice but that was all.

Now though Daniel was going off world and so was Jack so Jon and him had decided to stay round at Jack's. He had the large house and the bigger guest rooms so it made sense, plus Jack had Cable, Daniel just had all the History channels, which James really didn't want to watch anymore. The idea of watching things about dead civilisation he might have to relive and how they fell apart just made him start wondering if he had once known the skeletons, which was weird.

The day Daniel went off world Jon had ice hockey so James sat and finished up his work for the day and fiddled with a few programs he was working on. He looked up when he heard a fight on the ice. It was practise so fights were unusual. Jon and the team captain were being pulled off each other. Jon was fighting on the ice? He was an enforcer but he didn't fight. He was too good. The coach sent both of them off the ice and for some reason the captain glared at James as he skated off. He should probably learn their names but he barely knew the names of people he shared classes with and he just didn't want to get to know the idiots on the ice hockey team. Jon spent all his time complaining about how they were jerks.

He wandered down to the locker rooms to see what was up with Jon. When he opened the door he could see the damaged they'd done. Jon had bloodied the captain's nose and the captain had given Jon a black eye.

"Hey, Jack, when did you start getting in fights? If the colonel find out your gonna get it in the neck." He said leaning against the back of the door.

"Yeah. _Jack_. What's you military uncle going to think?" The Captain snarled at him twisting his name to make a point of the fact that James still called him Jack even though he was Jon to everyone else. James got the sense there was something else going on here he wasn't picking up on.

"He'd understand." Jon said ignoring the third teen and focusing on James. "Look, I'll be out in a minute just leave us to it." James starred at him.

"If he comes out with any extra blood on him I am not covering for you." He said before leaving. Jon starred at the captain.

"Ah, he going to tell on you _Jack_?" The captain mocked smiling at the enraged reaction. "Better not do anything or he might get annoyed at you." Jon moved till he was standing over the slightly older boy.

"Your just a bigoted looser. I hope some day you grow up and work out that not all relationships are about your dick and that not all friends are arseholes to each other." He said then having already stripped his pads he grabbed his stuff and left. He would shower at home.

James was leaning against the car.

"So, what was all that about?"

"Nothing, he's been pissed at me for a while."

"Why?"

"Because I made it clear that you're to be left alone."

"What? Jack, I can look after myself."

"James, it's my job to keep you safe. That means laying down the law to my team mates that you are not going to be a punch bag for them."

"No, your 'job' is to keep me safe from the NID and myself if I go loopy. Not from the school bullies. I can manage that on my own." Jon looked at him in that don't question me way. "Fine, Jon, whatever. It's not like I have any control over my life really any way." Jon sighed. James never called him Jon. Apparently he 'got to know you as Jack and wasn't going to start over'. He had only used the name twice before when he was really pissed at him and wished he could be on his own.

"Look, I'm sorry, you're right it's not my job. You're my best friend though and regardless of an air force pay packet or not I would still tell those guys to back off. They may be brainless thugs but most of them are twice your weight and none of them would know a fair fight if they walked in on one. Plus the entire SGC would have my balls if I let you get the shit kicked out of you." James laughed at that.

"I can imagine that." Living on base for three months he'd got to know most of the personnel. He'd spent quite a while playing against the guys when they were on call. "Sorry, I'm doing the whole stressed lash out thing."

"Yeah, well I can't blame you. Your right you don't have much control right now. The air force kind seem to own your life and your not even getting paid. Bright side, your set for life, you have pretty much and automatic job travelling the galaxy seeing new worlds and cultures and from what I hear of the reports you get to have wings."

"I have to admit the wings are cool, I mean I've had a few twirls in the memories but it's just not the same. I really can't wait to do it for myself, though the whole growing thing…hurts like hell."

"Right, what are you thinking for food tonight?"

"Chinese?"

"Nice choice. We can stop off and grab some now."

**Kajos: and that's it for now…read and review. Hope you enjoyed it.**


	28. Growing Up: Chapter 4

**Kajos: Sorry for how long the update took. I've been swamped with work.**

The Chinese was long cold in the half empty boxes on the floor around the teens as they lazed on the sofa's in the den starring at the television. It was a Wednesday.

"I think we should head to bed. James, school tomorrow and all that." Jon said standing up and stretched.

"I think I'll stay up a bit longer." James replied not looking away from the screen.

"James, your gonna need to get up earlier tomorrow, it's likely that you'll take longer to remember in the morning in different surroundings."James refused to look at Jon when he said that. "Daniel has briefed me on the dreams. It's not an issue I'm going to see it someday."James turned off the television.

"I know but I still don't like it. I hate how crazy I am in the mornings. I hate not knowing my own name or language." He had his head in his hands.

"Well, I'd rather see it before it happens in the middle of school and I'm sat there calling Daniel for help." James laughed at that mental image.

"Okay to prevent your embarrassment I'll go to bed."

"Thank you." Jon stated firmly and offered the younger teen a hand up.

* * *

James died that night. He didn't scream. He went quietly in his sleep. The screaming came afterwards, it woke Jon. He lay in bed listening and not waking him. Daniel had told him about the couple of times he'd risked waking him. Apparently waking him in the middle was worse than waiting and normally any screaming or stuff like that ended fairly quickly. Tonight it lasted ten minutes but it was sole destroying listening to the wails of utter despair. It left Jon unable to sleep.

That morning James was worse than ever. From what Jon could tell he had no language capability at all just kept crying. He knew Daniel had told him to leave Jon to it but he couldn't in the end he went in and gathered the distraught boy into his arms. He gripped on with his hands in firsts in his shirt leaning completely against him as he wailed. Jon rubbed is back in circles hoping to sooth him. Slowly he quietened. Jon stroked his hair until he looked up.

"Jack?"

"Hey James, I'm here. What happened?"

"I'm not sure. Ask me later."

"Okay."Jon said before they both suddenly realised that Jack was still holding him and James' grip hadn't loosened. They both moved apart at the same time so that Jon was stood next to the bed and James was sat up properly in bed. "Well, we're running late, so I'll put some food on while you sort yourself out." Jon said before beating a hasty retreat. James sat for a moment before shaking himself and getting dressed in the clothes he laid out the night before. Then headed down to the kitchen.

"Hey feeling better?" Jon asked as he served up breakfast.

"Yeah, I remember what happened now. I died was only about two when I woke up. Sorry about that, I hate this whole thing." James said keeping his eyes on his food.

"That's fine James it's not like you have any control over it."

"Yeah, that's why your here."

"That and I'm your best friend so I'm not going to abandon you with all this shit." Jon said in between shovelling food into his mouth.

"I know. None of you will, it's the only thing that keeps me going." James said smiling and looking around at the people in the photo's that were as evident in the kitchen as any other room of the house. 'The Team' stood posed together in so many placed with Cassey, Rya'c , Bra'tac, Janet, Hammond, Himself, and Jon in some of the more resent ones. There was even a picture of the four kids in SG jumpsuits taken the last time they were all on base at once, they'd been nick named SG Jr on base. The family, stood together against anything and James knew that this was something they'd all support him through. Finally they finished and left the plates for later instead heading out the door to prevent them being too late for class.

* * *

James sat through another agonising day of class praying that he wouldn't go insane or forget English or any of the hundred other things that could happen. He could only relax in Physics and Computing when Jack was in the same class. It had been so bad that morning. He reckoned based on some web surfing he'd skipped around 200 years and moved west by several thousand miles. The worst part had been that morning had been worse than the first morning because he had no understanding at all when he woke. He had been like a small child in front of Jack and how comforted he'd felt being held by him. He had known for a while that Jack would be seeing him at the his most vulnerable but it was only now that it really impacted on him that that meant not only when he was at his most vulnerable but also when he was most vulnerable in every other life.

"James!" His teacher shouted at him jerking him back to his current lesson looking sheepish as the rest of the class chuckled.

* * *

It was another two days before things really kicked off. The mornings had still been fairly embarrassing but James was starting to deal with it. What he wasn't ready for was he sudo dream self living through being sold as a servant and beaten repeatedly. He had woken up that morning drained beyond belief and by the time he reached Jack's Hockey game that evening he had just about been awake long enough to watch it but had fallen asleep waiting outside the changing rooms.

Jack heard the scuffle outside the room straight away and held back assuming it was just some of the guys. It wasn't until the door slammed open that he realised something was wrong.

"Jon!" One of the other members of the team shouted. "Your boyfriends just gone psycho on the captain." His eyes were wide in terrified fear. Jack dropped the shirt he'd been about to put on and ran outside knowing that James could be dangerous. The Captain was huddled into the wall and while James yelled at him in some other language with a knife he'd gotten from somewhere and kicked him occasionally.

"James!"Jon yelled trying to get his attention. The teenager looked round at him and then pointed the knife at him. Jon put his hands out in a calming gesture. Showing he had nothing in his hands. "Look, no threat here. You don't need the knife." He said softly edging forward. Until he was in arms reach of the weapon. James didn't look like he would be backing down. "Sorry about this James." Jon said before grabbing his wrist and pushing James against a wall holding him there with his weight. "Run!" He shouted back over his shoulder at the still huddled Captain. He then slammed James wrist into the wall forcing him to drop the knife he then kicked out the way ignoring James yells and struggling attempts for freedom. He flipped him round pulling his wrist up behind him and forcing him to his knees. He now had him under control but what he needed to do was pull him out of this. Jon moved carefully wrapping one arm round him to pin the other arm at the front before leaning on him. "James I need you to calm down and listen to me. I need you to think about your name James. About me Jack, I need you to remember that we're at the ice rink and I'm freezing because I didn't have time to put on a t-shirt or anything. I need you to relax and stop fighting me so I can let you go and put one on before all the people I'm damn sure are now watching decide to get involved and make this worse. Please James. Remember." As he spoke the body stopped struggling and relaxed. James' head fell forward. "James?"

"Yeah." he said quietly.

"Good. I'm going to let you go now." Jack let go of his bruising grip on his wrist and moved back standing up before holding a hand out to James, who took it. They turned to face the rest of the corridor together. A small crowd had gathered while Jack subdued his best friend. The couch and remaining members of the Hockey team who hadn't already left or run off scared when the flashback started along with several male members of staff who had been there for the game and the principal.

"Both of you will report to my office now!"

* * *

They sat outside the office for around two hours before Daniel and the Colonel arrived. The both looked furious though the Colonel was winning that game by miles.

"Three days! We leave you alone three days and a kid has been hospitalised!" Before either of them could reply to the military man's accusation the office door opened and the principal beckoned all four of them inside.

"Well... this incident has to be one of the worst moments of my career to be honest. Tom Rutherford has had to be sent to hospital to check he has no internal injuries from the beating he received at the hands of your ward," He said addressing Daniel, "and on arrival at the scene he was found wrestling over a knife with your nephew and they then processed to have a wrestling match it seemed. Do either of you have any explanation for you action or for that matter why you were carrying the knife."

"I was not carrying the knife! Rutherford provoked the whole thing." James said. Daniel held up a hand.

"I think I would like to hear the boys version from the start."

"Thank you Mr Jackson that sounds a very sensible suggestion." The Principal said obviously wanting to slam the book on the two of them and have done with.

"I was waiting for Jon outside the changing rooms to head back with him for the night since Colonel O'Neill and Daniel were both on call." James decided now was not the time to be informal. "Rutherford came out and saw me sat on the bench. He stared to make comments about my friendship with Jon and my availability to sleep with men for a fee at which point I got a bit ticked off. I stood up and he pulled out a knife. I asked him to put it away and he continued to threaten me with it. After that I remember him hitting me across the face with the hand holding the knife and then kneeling in front of the wall and Jon saying something about being freezing." He finished. The Principal clearly did not believe him. Jon picked up where he left off.

"I can't say what happened immediately after that but when I entered the corridor I found Tom on the ground and James had obviously taken the knife from him. He seemed to be talking non-sense so I took control of the knife made sure Tom was out of the way and then subdued James until I was certain he was no longer a threat. I believe this was an episode of his Gatsta Syndrome." Jon said using the name of the fake syndrome that they had coined for referring to James problems.

"Well that clears that up. We'll have words with the boys about managing things better when we're not around." Jack said standing to leave.

"That is not an explanation!" The Principal cried,

"Actually on James return to school you were informed that he had been diagnosed with Gatstas. The symptoms of which include vivid night terrors and periods of delusion during which the subject is prone to emotional and physical outbursts. We're told it was most likely the effect of James upbringing. You were also informed that for that reason Jon had been taught to deal with any such outbursts safely and was to be contacted immediately. It also appears that Tom Rutherford did in fact provoke this outburst."

"According to Tom, James here was waiting for him in the corridor and made a comment about Jon being a better candidate for Captain before attacking and beating him to the floor and brandishing the knife at him when Jon here emerged."

"For one I don't want to be a captain and James knows that and for two pardon my French but James couldn't give a flying fuck about hockey."

"Really? He has observed every practise and game since his return to school, or at least everyone you have."

"Jon is James lift back to the house after school. I work late and can't collect him from school and since his diagnosis he has been unable to get a licence. Add that to the fact that James is not allowed at any time to be left unsupervised as he can be as harmful to himself as other during those periods he had no choice but to sit in on practises and games." Daniel said stiffly.

"If he wasn't supposed to be unsupervised why was he on his own in the corridor?"

"Oh for crying out loud. He's fine. Even during his episodes he doesn't attack unless provoked. It is deemed safe for him to be on his own as long as some one can get to him if there is an issue and Jon was on the other side of the door and had the situation under control with in seconds of being notified. Right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Now that's sorted, I would like to get James to his doctor and check that his wrist is okay." Daniel said indicating the wrist that was swelling and possibly damaged from Jons rough handling. A bruise was also beginning to form across his cheek."

"Mind if I tag along, that was a rough game?"

"And I need to write up my report." The Colonel chipped in.

"Thank you for your time Principal Bone, I'll have the doctor drop you a phone call to make sure you are fully aware of the extent of James condition. So there are no further mix ups. I'll also be in touch about the homophobic bullying and discrimination against my ward." All four of them stood and left the room. It was unsurprising that two men that had dealt with interplanetary incidents including murder had managed to deal with the school Principal in under ten minutes. That said both teenager knew they were for it when they reached the mountain as both the others had had to be called in from off-world.

* * *

After James had gone through a three hour medical, and Jon had been patched up from the various grazes and knocks he'd taken on the ice they both proceeded to the briefing room. Where the colonel was finishing up his report while Daniel looked over some translations forcing the two boys to wait and draw out their suffering. Finally the colonel closed his laptop and looked at them.

"Well?" He said questioningly.

"I appologise I was tired and didn't realise that that could lead to a flashback. Both I and the new doctor agree that it was most likely down to the fact that unlike the previous memories these ones are traumatic and in some ways reflective of my own childhood possibly making me more susceptible."

"So you were tired and less stable than normal... and you thought that in that state it was a great idea to leave him where he was likely to come across hockey players who evidently had a grudge against him."

"I'm sorry, I made it clear to the team that James was to be left alone, unfortunately as you heard that and he continuous presence lead to certain members of the team developing misconceptions. Thus today's altercation."

"Yes, you see this is an interesting situation. I am required to consider this both as your uncle and your boss. Not only did you get in a fight at school that required me being dragged into the principals office, which by the way I really don't like, you also failed to follow your task which is to control James in the case of a flashback and stop him from harming himself or anyone else. I'm going to have to reprimand you for that."

"I know sir." Jon said keeping his answer short.

"Hey this wasn't Jacks fault. I shouldn't have let Tom get under my skin like that and I should have told him how tired I was and used the game to sleep instead of watching."

"Yes and for that you will also be disciplined. You two seem to have forgotten that you are the future of this command, that doesn't mean you can do as you please in fact it means you learn to follow orders and act in the interest of others. Me and Daniel have discussed the matter and agreed that you will both receive two punishments. An official one for failing to follow protocol and second based on the fact that we are the closest things you have to parents and we don't take that responsibility lightly." Both boys gulped not liking the sound of two punishments. Daniel took over at that point.

"Jon since you seem to have forgotten the need to be aware of your surroundings and not rely on some ones word entirely you will be furthering your education in the kitchens for the next three months. Dinner shift everyday as soon as your done at school. James meanwhile we feel needs to learn to keep his head and follow orders so you will be working on the base IT desk. You will both follow the orders of those place in charge of you and you will not use this as a reason to let school work slip in anyway. Understand?"

"Yes sir." came to voices in unison.

"As for your less formal punishments, Jon you are to deal with this situation with the hockey team and you won't be attending to watch or watching a game on TV for the next three months." Jons face fell in horror and James braced himself for what would be required of him. "James you will be collected from school by an airman on days where Jon has hockey practise from now on and you will treat them with respect. You will also be banded from games consoles for the duration of you punishment. I know it seems harsh but hopefully you will both learn from this. I would have expected better from a former officer of the united states air force and someone as intelligent as you James. Hopefully both of you will take this more seriously now, we all saw today that people get hurt over things like this and if it happens again we most likely will have to pull James from school and public interaction and you Jon will be buried in a dead end job without a qualification to your name."As the Colonel finished both teenagers looked as shame faced as they should and the two men left them in the briefing room alone.

"I didn't think this was going to that much of a mess up." James said sitting down at the table.

"They can't put the public in danger and today just shows that if I had been any longer than I was or less lucky you could have stabbed Tom and killed him."

"So we learn from this and make sure it doesn't happen again. I can learn to manage this and keep it under control."

"And I'll learn how to deal with it when you can't." Jon said reassuringly. "Do you want me to drop you off?"

"No point Daniel won't be home yet and I'm not allowed to be on my own."

"Well come round to mine and pick up your stuff then we can hang until Daniel gets back."

"Okay."


	29. Growing Up: Chapter 5

The next three months were hell for both boys. James was buried under school work, evenings on the IT desk and constant training. Once it had been pointed out to the new doctor what they knew of the change James was going through she had helpfully suggested that before he started to grow the wing that could be extremely painful for a while and before he left the immediate area for university he should complete his physical training. His weekends were therefore spent sparring, on the range, running and hiking to his limits and taking part in various training exercises. Some times Jon came too others he was aloud to.

That was the worst part, they were a boring three months. The only time he got to spend with his best friend were at school when he had flashes and Jon had to come running. The flashes were getting so common that all his teachers now had Jon's beeper on speed dial one on the class room phone and his classes were starting to notice before the teachers. Jon would run down the corridor to find a class patiently waiting for him in the hall while Daniel sobbed, yelled, smashed things or cried in the classroom. It was hard but those three months were finally over and Jack and Daniel had something up their selves for that night they were sure.

Jon knew the James was not popular. He disturbed classes and on occasion threatened class mates. The hockey team actually despised him with a vengeance. The Captain had returned but only after a month on the side lines and then had to spend a couple of weeks on the bench as he recovered and with James never around any more the hatred was shared around to Jon. He was worried what would happen the next week when James was coming to the game. They had stayed on base for the last three months when Jack or Daniel weren't about but they had served their time and when the two sudo parents were away the next week they would be staying at James'.

They both headed for the mountain after school that day together in Jon's Jeep for their last evenings of work. On arrival they changed as ever into BDUs they were still required to wear despite being civilians. In the locker room the two teenagers were not as miserable as normal bantering about the day at school before both headed to their work stations. James down in the service levels in the ICT office adjacent to the supercomputer and server rooms. A hot and cold environment due to the large amount of heat generated by the two systems and the massive amounts of air conditioning used to stop it over heating. Jon headed for the kitchens. He was becoming a fairly good cook at this point.

On arrival Jon checked the listing and started preparation. The afternoon passed as normal James had six call outs since they'd replaced the desktops in the marines barracks he was constantly being called out to fix problems. He enjoyed his work in many ways, fiddling with computers all the time and some times getting to have a part in the updates to the base systems. He was working on a set of power leads replacing fuses when the call came through that the projector in the briefing room needed a new lamp in time of a briefing in the next half hour. He quickly checked the specks and went down to stores to procure the correct lamp.

Jon had placed his third tray into the oven when the head cook shouted for him.

"Jon, they need food taken up to the briefing room. Some meeting over ran and they want food taken to them."

"I'll put together a trolley for them." Jon said heading off to make up a series of platters of food to take up to them. Mostly left over lunch but there was also some of the already cooked dinner in the trolley for them. Jon unfortunately couldn't make excuses to go through the control room with the trolley. He would have to take the elevator.

James having found the bulb used it as an excuse to walk through the control room and see if anything was happening. The place was quiet though as he took the stairs up to the briefing room. As he emerged he saw the room was full of people and James wondered how he would get to the projector. He stepped forward with the bulb only to have it taken from his hand as Daniel leaned next to him. "Don't worry about that, the bulb was replaced last week. Enjoy yourself, you've worked hard the last few months." He handed him a bottle of coke and pushed him into the fray of people praising him and laughing at jokes of calls from his time working under the mountain. Jon arrived not long after and was ambushed by Jack just as James had been by Daniel. They celebrated the end of their punishment because truly the two boys had taken it in fine manner. They had both maintained high grades at school and neither had complained about the punishment. All reports said they had been great team members and done their best. In among all this Jon had been finding time for extra tutorials with Carter and James had been doing combat training and exercise. The Summer was pretty much round the corner and while Jon would be using it to continue his studies James needed to make plans.

"Friends!" Jack called to the room. "We're here to congratulate two great young men who have worked hard these past months listening to us whining about lost files and the lack of blue Jello. But we have a second reason for tonight as well. Unbeknown to Jon and James they're activities on base have not gone with out credit. We have spoken to teachers and colleges and it has been decided that given they're grades and abilities they have been grated the credits and will be receiving in a few weeks time they're high school diplomas." A cheer went up and those close to the boys shook they're hand. Jack held up hiss hand for peace. "They will still have to wait till next fall before college but to fill that time it has been decided that these two young men will be assigned positions on base for the interim..." Both boys groaned at the idea of a year at the help desk and in the kitchen. "on Gate teams."

"WHAT!?" James shouted accompanied by a roaring "YES!" from Jon.

"Just the science team on safe planets mind but you will be going through full training. You'll be needing to use your spare time to go look at colleges."

"Yeah, fine whatever. We get to go off world again!" Jon called.

The party continued an hour or so after until just SG1 and the boys were left.

"I congratulate you again on your academic success young warriors." Teal'c said before leaving with a nod.

"Well done you two." Sam ruffled James hair before following Teal'c`

"How?" Jon asked his older self.

"Well we only have the best here and due to the nature of some of the research and doctorates received by the staff we have plenty who can sign off credits for college courses. Sam was happy enough with your progress to proclaim you as having completed enough physics, science and other work to cover the rest of your course, and the engineers signed against James memory distribution plan to finish up his diploma."

"Can you do that?"

"We can when the president decided that he wants the two of you in action ASAP. It was also decided that after events it would be better to pull James from school as soon as possible and give us more time to establish a support at what ever school you choose for next year."

"So this was actually a large amount of string pulling." James said a little annoyed.

"Don't worry James, the two of you will learn enough in the next year to justify your early leave. You will be joining the science department where Jon will be learning more about alien science while you will be learning how to build, manipulate, work and interface with every kind of alien computer with have. You'll be wishing you were in school soon with the added training, exercises and the fact that we will be expecting you to keep to military levels of fitness and weapons practice."

Graduation came and went for the boys and then Jack and Daniel were proved right as the hard work came. They had barely a moment to breath over the summer as they planet hopped on some practising survival, combat and procedure on others investigating technology. All the time James condition worsened.

They had finished they're post mission medical and were planning to head to Daniels place for the night when James stopped.

"Whats up?" Jon asked as James stood with his mouth agape barely breathing. "James! Come on I'm not in the mood. James! Stay with me James!" Jon yelled at him holding him by the head.

"I'm... I'm still here." He gasped.

"Good. Good." Jon said and then James screamed his knees buckling beneath him. Jon looked around panicked to the airman that emerged at the end of the corridor. "Get a med team here now!" He shouted over the on going screams holding James off the floor as he screamed gripping his best friends cloths in anguish. By the time the med team arrived he had passed out from the pain.

"What's wrong with him doc?" Jon pleaded to no response.

"Tell us doc." Jack agreed knowing that all four people in the room would know eventually. Jon and Daniel were too curious to be left out the loop.

"Well... the X-rays I had done as part of his post mission came back and I noticed an abnormally to his previous set so I had a second lot done." She took some X=rays and placed them on a light board. "This is James Original X-ray. As you can see no gould which is the main reason we do these but there is if we compare it to his previous X-ray a change to the structure of the vertebrae."

"So he's hurt his back." Daniel asked.

"Wait for it." The doctor prompted, "Having noticed this I had an X-ray done of his entire spine. This was the result." She replaced the old X-rays with a new set. The problem was clear. "As you can see there is an abnormal bone growth here on the spine has caused the entire spine to change in structure. The reason James was in so much pain was because this new growth was pressing on his spinal cord. Imagine a pinched nerve and times by a hundred."

"What is that though?"

"My guess... James is now eighteen, those are his wings."

"Wings?" Jack asked.

"Well, we knew they were coming." Daniel pointed out.

"Yeah, but I don't know I never seriously considered it." Jack said.

"So what does this mean for James?" Jon asked.

"Well," the doctor started. "for now I'm going to have to pull him out of the field, an episode like this could be dangerous off-world. He will need to be close by and if it hasn't ended by next autumn we'll have to think carefully about if you two can leave."

"Well you should pull me off the gate team as well. I'll keep an eye on James."

"No," Jack said, "James can stay on base and the both of you will carry on with as much of your duties as possible, including you going on missions."

"Jack, come on."

"No Jon, you need the experience and you'll do James no good hovering over him all the time."

"Daniel?" Jon appealed to the scientist.

"He's right Jon, you should carry on with your duties."

"On that note, we have a debrief." Jack said giving Jon a pointed look to say that the subject was closed.

James wing took a long time to grow but they soon found that his moments of excruciating pain were few and far between only every few months. James was quickly back to full duties though he did have to take pain meds. The wings hurt all the time even if it was mostly just a dull ache. Jon was still concerned about him all the time but James assured him that he was fine. Until they got caught in a cave in trapping the two of them in a room with an alien computer. They weren't due to check in with the other half of their team for a couple of hours. Even then it would take them a long time to get back to the stargate for help. Their packs had been left on the otherside of the cave in.

"Well, the powers gone and I don't think there's anthing else I can do." James said stepping away from the consol after trying to get it working for a while. Jon was sat by the wall of rock and dirt trying to get a response on the radio.

"It's a day's walk to the gate and then a days walk back and that won't even count the few hours they'll spend here and waiting for support to come through."

"So we've got a couple of days here, a few power bars and MRE's and a bottle of water to live off."

"At least we have that." They sat in silence for a while until James watch beeped. He pawed through his vest and pockets before sitting back and looking at Jon.

"We've got a problem."

"What?" Jon asked.

"I've left my meds in my pack." James very rarely missed his meds but the couple of times it had happened in the past it had resulted in bringing on a fit of pain close to his growth spurts.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Jon lied, in a couple of hours James would scream himself into sleep. They sat and tried to relax sharing a power bar. Suddenly James dropped his power bar. Jon very much awake and aware grabbed him in a hug and holding a hand over his mouth. If James screamed he could bring the cave down on them. Jon held him close as he shook with pain hand clasped firmly but gently to muffle his screams. He ran a hand through his hair dropping a comforting kiss on his head. Eventually James fell asleep and Jon still holding on followed him into dream. Waking to see James' face before him wrapped in the other boys warmth he realised something he had been keeping even from himself for a while. He wanted this, wanted to hold James close as often as possible. Wanted to wake beside him everyday. It was one of the most wonderful and disturbing revelations of his life. He had always been straight as an arrow as a clone and before. It terrified him that he now seemed to be at least bi if not gay. He tried thinking about a girl but it just didn't attract. No he now appeared to be gay. It was in many ways wonderful though, he realised that this was all he would ever need to be satisfied, something he had never expected to find again since he lost Sarah. He felt like he had hope for a relationship that wasn't impossible because of keeping lies or against the rules. After all he wasn't Military.

Then he had another realisation. James was straight, he wouldn't even look at Jon, never had. Jon having finally found love was doomed too watch as some day James found a girl and settled down with her. He was sure in that moment that it would happen, he was so focused on that despair that it was a moment before he noticed that James eyes were open. He quickly rolled away from him trying to pretend he had also only just woken and not been staring at James for ten minutes. They sat together all day sharing out meagre rations. They talked a lot discussing James memories.

"Well last night was quite nice. I fell in love."

"Really?" Jon said.

"Yeah, I was met him when I was around 22. He was a widow, his kids are great, though they have no idea about us. They just think I'm working with they're dad and lodging in the spare room, though I'm not certain the youngest girl hasn't worked it out."

"Wow, so your gay?"

"I was in that life, in fact, I think the whole memory thing has left me bi in most lives. I mean I can remember being with men and women and everything, I have been greek after all. It doesn't make you uncomfortable does it?"

"No!" Jon said maybe a little too quickly as hope flared in his heart again. "But don't you wish you could have an open relationship?"

"Well a lot of older cultures don't have such an issue with men sleeping together, it's mostly that a man is expected to get married and have kids. Having said that no one has issues with men finding enjoyment in one another as long as they're discrete about it."

"So, you can bump uglies with your land lord as much as you like?"

"No, that's not casual sex is it. If his kids knew it would be shameful and I know that some of them would hate him for it. He did love their mother though which was unusual for then."

"I think I see."

"You sure your okay with this, I mean you were military before?"

"I'm not Jack." Jon said firmly, "I've never been sure how I felt about homosexuality, until this morning." When Jon finished James sat confused what had happened this morning? Jon could see his confusion. "When I woke up with you." James looked down and blushed. Jon reached over and touched his chin lifting his chin gently and turned him to look in his eyes.

"Jon," James wished he could take that word back as soon as it left his mouth. Jon dropped his hand and moved away thinking James was about to reject him. James followed him placing his palm against his cheek to try to get him to look at him, "Jack." He said firmly and the boy looked at him. "Lets take this slow, okay?" He leaned in and touched his lips to the physicist's. The kiss was simple and gentle.

"Okay. I can do slow." Jon said with a grin. "How are your wings feeling?"

"They hurt a lot but it's bearable."

"Anything I can do?"

"No, but you can distract me if you want." Jon smiled even wider.

"Always."


	30. Growing Up: Chapter 6

By the time they were rescued Jon and James had shared many kisses, though they had gone no further. As James had said they were taking it slow. Over the next months they slowly grew more comfortable with the relationship. They desided right at the start in the cave to keep it to themselves that they were dating, well, they'd never been on a date but they were definatly in a serious relationship. The problem was finding time for it, they both still lived with their adoptive fathers neither of whom knew about them. When they weren't at home they had work or were away on missions and tents certainly kept no secrets.

So on the few occasions that either Doctor Jackson or General O'Neill were away the two boys would make use of the empty house. It was that which lead to the argument. The General had been in Washington for the week and was supposed to be gone for another few days but the meetings had gone well so he had been able to come home early. Normally he would have rung ahead but this time he forgot. He pulled up in the drive way to see Jon's Jeep was there. He went straight in and found a mess in the lounge, Jon had left his clothes all over the place and the TV was on with some random comedy show. Jack turned it off with a huff. He should have known that the kid would make a mess of the place. Then he heard a kind of strangled cry from upstairs. Instantly his gun was in his hand as he crept up the stairs. He heard a crash and a moan as he approach the open bedroom door. His other hand was reaching for his mobile as he swung round the door.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" He shouted at the boys in the middle of fucking on the bed. James had just been pushing into Jon who was lieing on his front. Both heads flew round to the door in shock. Jon rolled putting James behind him and pulled the sheets up to cover them.

"Jack, what are you doing back?" The boy tried to ask casually.

"Get out." He growled at them.

"Look, Jack, we're sorry we didn't tell you but we can talk about this."

"You!" He said pointing at James. "You damn queer! Get out of my house now before I really loose it." He yelled. James span terrified and pulled on the pair of boxers by the bed, Jon's boxers actually. He ran out the door past Jack who suddenly realised why there were cloths all over the lounge but none on the bed room floor other than socks and boxers. Jon glared at Jack.

"You bloody homophobe." He growled holding the sheets while he pulled on boxers and a clean pair of pants from his draw.

"At least I'm not some sick queer. He's not even human!" Jon just looked at him and shook his head before following James and leaving.

James was stood by the jeep with his phone out about to call for a lift.

"Hey, don't worry, I'll drive us." Jon said as he emerged dressed. They got in the car in silence and neither of them said anything for ages, "I'm sorry James." Jon said reaching across to hold his boyfriends hand.

"It's not your fault Jack."

"I love that you call me that."

"Where are we going?"

"Your place."

"What if the general phones and tells him?"

"It's Daniel, he won't mind."

"Yeah well we both thought that the general would take it well. And now because of me you've been thrown out your own house."

"Hey," Jon squeezed his hand, "it's not your fault he's a asshole." James didn't reply.

When they arrived at Daniel's, James didn't want to let go of Jon's hand being shouted at by the general like that had left him really shaken. Jon pulled his hand away slowly and opened the door before coming round the car and taking James' hand again. He gently pulled on it and coxed the boy in to the house. James was so worried that he barely noticed where he was until Jon turned back to him inside the door and lifted his free hand to his face.

"Hey, James, are you okay? Your not going to have a flash are you?"

"I'm okay Jack. I'm okay." He said nuzzling against his hand and covering it with his own. Then they hear a throat being cleared. They both turned still holding hands to see Daniel watching from the door to the sitting room.

"You guys have something to tell me?" He said raising his eyebrow in a teal'c like fashion. James swallowed but Jon gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah, Daniel. Me and Jon are dating, have been for a while." Daniel was still for a moment before he grinned broadly.

"Congratulations, I was wondering when you two would give in to it." He said moving forward to give them both a hug.

"You knew?" James asked.

"James you two have been making eyes at each other for ages. A blind man could see it."

"So your not angry at all?" James said cautiously.

"No. Why would I be angry? I'm a little disappointed you didn't tell me straight away but that's your decision." Daniel said.

"Sorry, it's just..." Jon trailed off.

"What happened before you came over? I thought you were staying at Jacks for the week."

"Well, Jack got home early." Jon said sourly. Daniel's brows furrowed.

"Did Jack have some sort of issue...?"

"Yeah, he called James a damn queer and then threw both of us out the house. He called us sick." Jon spat. Pulling James closer and worming an arm around his waist.

"I can't believe Jack would be like that. Maybe ten years ago but not now." Daniel said shocked.

"Well he did. You don't mind if Jon stays here?"

"No." Daniel said with a smile. "After all it's not like I'll need to make up the spare room for him." Jon and James looked surprised.

"You really don't mind if we..."

"As long as your not going to be having wild, loud sex at all hours of the morning."

"I think we can manage to control ourselves." James said smiling and relaxing enough to let go of Jon's hand and slip his into Jon's back pocket.

Later once the two boys had retired to James' room Daniel picked up the phone and rang Jack. He picked up fairly quickly.

"Hello?"

"Jack." He said in a stern tone.

"Daniel." He said in a similar tone.

"Did you call my kid a 'damn queer'?" He hissed into the phone.

"Your son was arse fucking my clone in my house!"

"And when exactly Jack did you become so closed minded? What the hell is your problem with Jon and James being together?"

"Jon isn't gay! He's just confused or something."

"Jon isn't gay or your not gay, Jack?"

"What's the difference?"

"Jack, just because he has the same DNA doesn't mean he's the same as you. So don't you dare persecute the two of them just because it's causing you to have a sexual identity crisis."

"I'm not having a sexual identity crisis, I'm straight."

"What's the problem then?"

"It's wrong and...and..." said Jack running out of excuses, "It's illegal. Don't ask don't tell after all."

"Jon isn't you Jack and if you hadn't noticed no matter how much military training you make him take part in he is a civilian. A civilian who can not be persecuted for being homosexual."

"Just cause your fine with this whole arse bandit stuff doesn't mean I have to be Danny." He said before hanging up.

The General didn't back down quickly, a few days later a van showed up with all of Jon's stuff at Daniel's house. He was completely professional at work, gone was any concern for James when he had a bad spell as well as the banter normally shared between the two boys and their sudo parents. He also became very harsh on Jon and James visiting one another during breaks. It was frustrating and heartbreaking to be so shunned by someone who had been such a large part of all their lives for so long. Daniel was the most annoyed with his best friend, he really couldn't understand what the man's problem was.

In august Jon and James had made their choice about university, they weren't headed for Berkley. They were going to Cambridge in the UK. James had broached the subject to Jon and after attending the open day Jon had fallen in love with the tiny town. About two weeks before they left they had loaded up their stuff that they couldn't fly with to be shipped ahead of them. The next week they would be packing up at the base, finishing up or handing over their projects. Daniel walked into Jacks office.

"Your just going to watch them go?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Jack, they're leaving for England in a week, they won't be back for two months and you haven't said one non protocol word to them in months. You can't fool me, you're not angry any more, this is all just about pride now." Daniel pointed out.

"Look, what do you want me to say, Danny. Sorry, I'm sorry but that doesn't mean anything after what I did."

"Jack they don't hate you. They just want your acceptance, a sorry is enough."

"You don't know what I said."

"You called them queers, they know you were in the moment and that you didn't mean it."

"Daniel, after James was gone I... I... I said to John that James wasn't even human." Daniel was silent for a while.

"How could you Jack? I mean I thought... with Teal'c and Cassey and all those others. How could you take a shot at them for that?"

"I know okay, I feel like a complete shit. The worst is that I'm still not completely comfortable with it. It's better for them to leave without me getting in the way."

"Jack there is no way they can leave happily with this thing still between you all. So if your ready to talk, then come round for dinner."

Jon opened the door when he arrived. He knew the face he was wearing, it was his face at times. The one that promised swift punishment for any harm done to his own. Jack knew he was on a very short leash at this dinner.

"Come on through." He said turning and leading his older self through to the kitchen. It seemed like ages since he's last been in this house. He didn't try to make conversation with his clone knowing it wouldn't be appreciated. Daniel was cooking while James appeared to be doing paper work.

"I hope that isn't confidential." Jack joked to the teenager.

"No sir, financial stuff for college." He said formally. Jack felt a complete arse for letting their relationship get to the point were they couldn't joke. He looked at Daniel who just gave him a look back.

"No need for the sir James, it's Jack." The boy gave his... his boyfriend a look before replying.

"Sorry, general." That one word hit hard, the kid had once been so relaxed around him. "Hey Jack, I need some help with this paper work." Before Jack could react Jon headed to him and sat and helped. When had that happened? Since when had James called Jon, Jack?

"Jack, grab some beers would you?" Daniel said to him. As he passed the doctor a beer he leaned close.

"Since when did Jon go by Jack again?" Daniel looked around at him.

"James has always called him that. Don't worry, your still Jack for everyone else."

"Wh...why would James do that?" Daniel shrugged.

"Well, Jon did spend most of his life as Jack, I think it's just they're thing."

"Since when do they have things?!" He asked urgently. Daniel laughed.

"Jack, they've always had things. Your seriously telling me you didn't see any of the signs before you walked in on them?"

"Not a whiff. I just assumed they were good friends."

"So it escaped your notice that two fairly good looking boys never once had a date?"

"Yes... yes it did. Okay, so I've really been dense haven't I?"

"Oh yeah." Daniel said still cooking. Jack just stood and watched as Jon leaned over James and looked at the paper work, his chest pressed to the other boys back as he occasionally turned his head to sniff James hair. The two were so comfortable. They looked relaxed for once, which was a rare view of James who had been fairly uptight since the wings started coming in. James seemed to finish reach the end of the paper work ans he turned and gave Jon a peck on the lips. It was slow but completely modest and caused a lump in Jacks throat as they pulled away from each other with smiles on their faces. He remembered being love like that when he was younger and couldn't understand how he could have ever damned the two of them for it.

"James, Jon, could we talk before dinner?" Jon's stone face was instantly back in full force but James looked hopeful.

"Of course General." James said. Jon wrapped an arm around James defensively. Jack moved across the room and sat opposite the two of them. Jon moved to sit next to his boyfriend.

"I would like to apologise for my actions." Jack started. "I reacted to the situation with out ever listening to the two of you, with out thinking and with out looking it seems. I should have said all this to you weeks ago but I let my pride get in the way. Watching you two together, you clearly have a healthy, happy relationship. I'm really pleased for the two of you for that. I'm happy knowing the two of you have each other. I know that I have yet to mention my homophobic out burst. I want to appologise to you about that. I never thought of myself as bigotted but having been career military though I told myself I had no problem with homosexuals I have never actually had to deal with homosexuality at such close quartres and my knee jerk reaction was to attack. I'm sorry for that so much, I hope that we can get past all this cause I really miss having the family together." He finished looking at them and then Daniel.

"We are a family, aren't we?" James said.

"I've always thought so." Daniel chipped in from the kitchen area. "After all the two of you never were able to make up your mind where exactly you were living. I swear the guest bedroom pretty much belonged to Jon."

"How about we just put this down to a family spat then?" James said smiling.

"There is one more issue I'm not satisfied on." Jon stated. Jack swallowed.

"I know. James I don't know if Jon ever told you but that day after you left the room I made a comment I regretted instantly. I asked Jon how he could be with you when you aren't even human." James looked hurt. "I would like to say a profound sorry for that and assure you that I didn't mean it in that way. I was angry and I don't know. I have never seen you as an alien, half the time I think of you as a son." James turned a little and looked at Jon who nodded.

"Thank you for the apology and I'm really glad about the last part because me and Jon need to tell you both something." Daniel wandered over to be more part of the conversation now Jack had finished his apologies. "As you know we're going to the UK for university, well, we've decided to get a civil partnership when we finish university." Jack looked a little confused.

"It's like getting married, with out the religion. For legal purposes they would be married." Daniel explained to the air force general whose eyes went wide.

"Wow, congratulations! So after university?" Jon nodded.

"Yeah, we decided that since we're still young and James has the change to come it would be better to leave it till then. I mean we're both pretty sure this isn't going to go away overnight but university is going to be very different."

"I can't wait, guys." Daniel said smiling and giving them both a quick hug before he went back to the cooking.

"Daniel, how long is the food going to be?"

"About another 20 minutes. Why?" Daniel asked from where he was checking the vegetables.

"I'll be back in a bit." Jack said standing and pulling out his car keys.

"Where are you going?"

"Store, this calls for some Champagne."

"Jack, they're under-age."

"Not in England we aren't." Jon said with a smile.

"What the kid said." Jack threw out as he left.

Settling in at the College was interesting. They had had issues when they were there for interviews, boy did Jon remember that:

They had beamed into an empty train station toilet with they're bags. Luckily James had made sure they got some money before they left so they had been able to hop on the bus into town and then after a lot of searching, Churchill College. They arrived in the end twenty minutes before James first interview and went straight to the porters lodge.

"Hey, we're here for interviews. O'Neill, two ells and Jackson." Jon said. The porter had checked his list and handed them a clip board to sign while he dug out two keys.

"Right," He said grabbing a map. "O'Neill is in 47G, thats this corner and Jackson is 52E, over here." He said circling two areas on the map. "You can either take the path round this way or this way." He said drawing lines on the paths.

"Wait, we need joint accommodation." Jon complained.

"I have a medical issue, I need constant supervision, I can't be that far away from him." The Porter looked at the two of them disbelievingly. Jon checked his watch.

"Look, we'll take these for now because we have an interview in ten, but we'll be back later. Check the files, we did inform the college that James is not to be left unattended." Jon said. "Now where do we go for the interviews?"

"End of the corridor, turn left up the wide stairs there's a table to your right at the top."

"Thank you." He said before both of them left and hurried up the steps. Jon let James take the lead at that point, after all it was his interview.

"Hey, James Jackson and Jonothan O'Neill checking in. I think I have an interview any minute."

"Ummm, yeah, if your friend wants to wait here with your bags or take them to your room for you, I can take you over straight away." The student helper said after ticking both they're names off his list.

"I'm coming with him." Jon said simply.

"Interviews are private. You can't sit in." They explained back annoyed and James sighed, so it was going to that kind of a time.

"I have a medical condition, he needs to be within shouting distance in case I have an episode or need my medication. But he can and will wait out side the door." The student looked uncertain, then checked her watch.

"Fine, I guess. It's not like your getting the same interviews." She lead round to the accommodation that was apparently being doubled up for use as interview rooms.

"I'll need to stick my head in at the start and just explain about James condition." Jon said as they entered the right stairway.

"Jon, I can explain."

"I'd like to make sure they know which face they're looking for." James just sighed. The student really didn't look very sure but left the two of them outside the room. The previous person came out and wished James luck on his way past then after a few minutes the door opened again.

"James Jackson?" The person asked.

"That's him but I need a quick word first." Jon answered.

"I'm afraid it will have to wait we're in the middle of interviews."

"It'll take five seconds and might make all our lives easier."

"It's about my medical condition. It's either that or he'll insist on sitting in the room."

"Fine." The doctor said with a disapproving tone and opened the door for both boys to enter.

"Okay, James 101. James has a condition relating to night and day terrors. It's possible that at some point he will become delusional or start speaking in a different language. He could also become violent. I'll be sat outside, give me a shout. I'll come in and deal with it. The only other one is back cramps. If he gets one that needs medicating you'll know, he'll probably start screaming. Again, I am fully trained in administering his medication so just call me." With that he walked out again.

"Don't worry, really. It's highly unlikely I'll go off during the interview it's just that high pressure situations and unfamiliar surroundings can often set me off so for every ones sake, he's being over protective."

"So, what do you have exactly?"

"Well, my childhood wasn't brilliant and I at times have flashbacks and they can be really real. I don't even remember afterwards but I can get fairly dangerous to myself and others when it happens."

"Wow, so he's your nurse?"

"Not exactly, the condition started about two years ago. Jon was my best friend before that and when it was decided I needed a minder the whole time, he volunteered to do all the training and stuff." The interview had gone fine along with the other two that day, it seemed they had been forewarned that the two boys could not be separated. Though they still hadn't managed to sort out their rooms the real action had happened in the dinning hall that evening.

James and Jon had been sat across from each other talking. Jon had gone to get himself another drink and left James at the table. He was just looking at his food when it happened. The College was clearing out so the place so fairly empty but there had been a couple of lecturers at the other end of the table. When Jon heard the shouts he had dropped his drink and run back into the large hall. James had his steak knife, and had obviously been making use of his fists. Jon ran in between the knife and everyone else who was now stood around watching. He efficiently twisted James wrist so he dropped the knife, he was good enough now not to hurt the wrist. He then slammed his fist into the side of James face so he dropped straight away. Then kneeling down he and checked his pulse before reaching into his bag and pulling out an icepack that activated when snapped. He placed it where he had hit him then turned around seeing as expected the porters had been called.

"I can explain."

They were sat in a small nurses room Jon perched on the bed next to James.

"He wasn't himself and trust me that was the best way of containing him. When he wakes up he'll be out of it at first but recover. Otherwise it can take ages to get him to come back to himself. If you don't believe me ring our doctor in Colorado. He'll be up at this time." They did phone them, and the doctor went over the whole thing and confirmed everything he said.

"Now, I'd like to put him in an actual bed. So could you guys sort out a double room for us?"

They quickly found a room that was set up with two beds for conferences. And Jon refused to let anyone else take James as he carried him up the stairs. Just after he had put him in the bed someone knocked at the door. He opened it to find the lecturer who had gained a black eye when James had gone off.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Yeah, I was wanting to talk to you about what happened." The Scottish scientist asked.

"There's nothing to discuss." Jon said trying to close the door.

"I don't know what crap you fed the porters but when he was shouting he wasn't using english."

"He speaks nonsense when he's like that. Don't take any notice." He said still not opening the door.

"You know, I might specialise in mathematics but you'll never guess what my field is." The doctor said "It's ancient mathematics, the number systems and mathematics used through time and how older numerical systems and ideas can even now revolutionise the maths today. It's leads me to a lot of research of dead languages. He was speaking ancient Egyptian."

"His parents were archaeologists, he learnt it when he was little. Probably just a remnant memory." Jon said trying to close the door.

"I don't think so. Now you will tell me what's going on here." The doctor said threateningly.

"Back off. It's just a condition. If you want to know more look it up on Wikipedia, it's called Gatsta Syndrome." He closed the door and sighed. James was fine the next morning and Jon had managed to steer them clear of the Lecturer for the rest of their interviews.

When they arrived their rooms had been sorted, thanks to their special requirements they had been assigned two rooms next to one another. One had their beds and the other their desks and more storage. It was not the best set up other but it would work, they would make it work. For that first week every time they turned around they were having to explain that they needed to stay together. They ended up organising a meeting with everyone who might need to know including porters and such about James' condition. Jon had spotted the Lecturer in the back of the room, his eyes said he was not going to drop what he had started the previous December.

He was right. As they finished their talk and everyone filed out he remained.

"So Gatsta Syndrome... a condition that came into existence all of two years ago. Suddenly over night hundred of webpages began to appear on the condition and yet I could not find one other diagnosed case of it on earth."

"Who are you?" James asked.

"Oh, well at least the memory loss part is true. I'm Dr Rush, Mathematics of the Ancient World." He said strolling over to them.

"I told you before to back off." Jon growled.

"I don't like this. I think there's far more to this than either of you are willing to say. You see I have seen reference to something with the same symptoms as Gatsta, you see I get to see a lot of manuscripts often they have very little to say but I was looking at one a while back and it spoke of a protector of a young warrior who appeared at the the age of 16 in a Celtic tribe. For the first two years he was normal and the tribe adopted him and trained him. Then it speaks of a madness that comes apon him. He would dream of dark times and ancient history and some times during the day he would forget that they were dreams. It speaks of him ripping his back open in pain. Of course they called it a trial of the gods. At the end of this madness it was said he arose on wings like an eagles a true warrior of the gods. Now I don't know about the ending but I looked into it and I found several other tales, from all over the place of a boy arriving out of the blue at the age of 16 and then two years later being over come with a madness and then at the age of 20 they all either die or came out of the madness, stronger and wiser. Now I noticed that these accounts were spaced out over centuries and I thought to my self that maybe this isn't a condition, maybe it's something else.

"I don't know what your implying, but it sounds insane." Jon said Rush just shrugged.

"Maybe it is. But I will be watching you two." He left and James let out a long breath.

"We better ring Jack."

"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea." He pulled out his cell phone it took a while to connect.

"General O'Neill."

"Hey, Jack, it's Jon. We might have an issue."

"What happened?" He asked worried.

"There's a Lecturer, Dr Rush. He's getting concerningly close to the truth of James. We either need him gagged or were going to have to tell him the truth." He said.

"Ah, hell. You've been there for a week, Jon. What is it with you two and trouble."

"Look whose talking we learnt from the best."

"Okay, I'll call Daniel, he'll be over in a couple of days and I leave it to him to decide."

"Thanks."

"Can you two manage for two days."

"Yeah, lecture start tomorrow. They've all been notified about James so it shouldn't be a problem."

James had his first lecture with Rush a few days later there had been an incident and Daniel hadn't arrived yet. James and Jon woke late thanks to James stealing the alarms battery for something or other. They had quickly pushed the beds together after moving into the room. The lateness meant James was sneaking into the hall minutes before the start which had the advantage of not giving Rush a chance at starting anything. About half way through though, James cringed feeling a cramp coming on he reached down into his bag and pulled out an injection and pulled his phone out.

"I'm sorry Mr Jackson but what exactly are you doing?" Rush asked from the front indicating the syringe and phone in his hands.

"I have a cramp coming on, I need a muscle relaxant to avoid a major cramp. The phone is to inform Jon in case something happens, so I'm not going to get an over dose." James explained briefly as he rolled his sleeve up to administer the injection. The rest of the room was starring at him as though he were a druggie shooting up in the lecture. He was dealing with a genuine medical condition.

"In future take the drugs before class." Rush said before returning to his Lecture. James dropped a text to Jon. Rush was obviously out for blood and the people sat around him all looked like they would be moving seats as soon as they got the chance. As the class moved on he knew the muscle relaxants weren't working as well as they could be. He managed to get notes but come the end he knew he wouldn't be able to stand up with out falling over. His back had completely seized up and felt like it was about to rip open. He couldn't even reach into his bag for his phone. He was left sat there while Rush stood at the front.

"Planning on leaving at some point Mr Jackson?" He asked.

"Look, Dr Rush, my back has seized up I can't stand or bend to get my phone. I would be grateful if you could get my phone for me so I can phone for some help." Rush looked at him for a minute clearly considering if he could push this. "Please, I need some help before this gets worse."

"Tell, me what's really wrong with you. Tell me the truth."

"You bastard. I'm suffering here."

"Well, you could just tell me." He said leaning in towards the 18 year old.

"Actually he can't. I would ask you to move away from my son." Daniels voice sounded clearly through the room. Rush turned quickly at being caught. "Hey James. I arrived earlier, me and Jon were waiting for you outside so that we could have a chat before we got into this, but we obviously were wrong to wait." Rush had steppe back and Jon moved with out a word grabbing a syringe and pumping a strong muscle relaxant into James system. His boyfriend slowly recovered a little. While Daniel faced off with Dr Rush.

"I take it you are Dr Rush."

"And you would be?"

"Dr Daniel Jackson. Father of James Jackson."

"Well, Dr Jackson, what is it you wished to discuss with me." Jon turned about to go for Rush's throat for being so casual but Daniel stopped him.

"Be glad General O'Neill was busy Dr Rush, he is not known for his patience and I assure you he will not be pleased to hear about what happened here."

"And where exactly does he come into this?"

"As well as being the Uncle and Guardian of Jon here he is the one who has finally say on how we deal with you."

"Really? Need I Remind you that I am a Scottish citizen and that we are not in America?"

"We're very aware of that, and I can assure you we have the full support of your government." the archaeologist said with his patented Daniel smile.

"James, how you doing?" Jon asked. James back still hurt but the relaxants meant he could now move.

"Better." He said giving his shoulders a move.

"Now, lets talk, what is it you think you know?" Daniel asked.

"Gatsta is a fake syndrome. I don't know what it is that's going on. But I know that there are tales of this through out time, the accounts are centuries apart but they do exist."

"Tell me, Dr Rush, would it not make sense that they also had Gatsta ? Just because the name is knew doesn't mean the condition is?"

"That comes on at the same age every time?"

"What age did it start?"

"18."

"James' condition first became obvious at the age of just under 17."

"Dr Jackson, lets stop fucking about here. The truth!" Daniel was not threatened by the shouting Scots man. Facing down system lords does give one a thick skin.

"I've spent some time looking into your background Dr Rush and speaking with some people. It has been decided that you will be cleared. Before we go any further we will need you to sign a none disclosure agreement." Daniel put his brief case down and pulled out a sheath of paper that would need signing.

"I'm not signing anything yet."

"Trust me, you'll regret it if you don't." Daniel teased.

"Really, you sign that, nothing will seem the same again. And from the sound of it. People already have plans for you."

"There is a project we would like you to take a look at for us. For now, we need someone here to keep an eye on these two." Daniel said with a look to the two boys.

After half an hour of persuasion, Rush signed the contract and Daniel asked if he was doing anything for the rest of the day that couldn't be cancelled and once everyone's schedules were clear they were all beamed onto the Prometheus. Rush of course was shocked and amazed when he was told he was on a spaceship but Jon and James used the chance to talk to old friends and catch up on all the stargate program gossip.

"So Dr Rush." Daniel said after Rush had been taken through the basics of the stargate and the intricacies of James case. "What do you think?"

"I can't believe it really. Well, I can it all makes sense but, wow. And James, Gabriel! Bloody Gabriel? What exactly were you planning on doing when he sprouts wings in two years?"

"We know that he will be able to hide them. According to him, they will fold back into his back and appear to just be bad scarring on his back. The bigger worry is actually flight practise. He can't keep his wings in apparently for too long with out it causing them damage and he will need to fly often to prevent the muscles weakening. What with modern day monitoring of airspace and such, that is going to be next to impossible." Rush laughed at that. "Seriously, Jon and James have been through a lot both of them, Jon isn't actually General O'Neill's nephew you know. He's actually his clone. Thanks to a rogue alien who thought the General's DNA was the key to the survival of his race. He has all the memories of a divorced 50 year old black ops air force Colonel who lost his kid. Jack and Jon try to pretend they're completely different and in some ways they are. Jon's not so old, he's younger, more immature. He's full of life, but sometimes I look in Jon's eyes and I see the same loyalty and determination and wrath I see in Jacks. That boy would do anything to protect his family. He and James are engaged, they have two years of hell ahead of them an ocean away from us. We would love to keep them at the SGC this whole time with doctors who have a better chance of understanding what's happening and with us there to bale them out. Where James can move freely cause most of the base can safely deal with him. But they're kids, they deserve a normal childhood and they wanted to go to college. They need this and when they come back to the SGC afterwards they will be far more valuable to us."

"So that's all they are assets to be trained for use?"

"No. That's the company line." Daniel said with a small smile. "To be honest, those two boys mean the world to me. I consider them both sons. I know for a fact that those two are the children pretty much of stargate command, you mess with them you mess with us all. We couldn't keep either of them out and both have spent large periods of time living and working on base. I love them both and mostly I want them to be happy, and working for the SGC seems to do that. Plus James already has one of our off world bases picked out for flying practise."

Jon was worried, James had been getting worse. The dreams were now very recent and he had collapsed five times in the last four days. He was even more concerned when Rush pulled them in after a lecture.

"What's this about doctor?" Jon asked.

"I'm sending the two of you back to Colorado. I spoke with Dr Jackson about the situation yesterday and they want you home."

"What?" James asked.

"Look we all know whats wrong, we all know that sometime very soon you are going to need your specialist to look at you and support that you can't get here. Go home, I'll square it here. Your flight leaves in two hours so go pack." Over the previous two years they had developed ways of discussing classified material with out talking about it. They two hours till beam out to pack before they were sent to the SGC so that James could be nearer doctors with alien experience.

Two weeks later James lay craddled in Jon's bed having just died again in his sleep. He had woken up to an odd feeling. He couldn't go back to sleep as he felt him self changing so slowly, like his skin was strange. He rolled over and shook his fiances shoulder. Jon blinked slowly at him.

"Jon, it's time. I need to go."

"What? James? Go where?" He asked sleepily.

"The convergence Jon, we don't have long and I need to get out into the open, a field or something."

"Oh, shit. I'll just get... I'll go..." He said rolling over and pulling his jeans on. "I'll tell Jack." He said leaning over to give him a peck on the lips, so pleased to be able to do this in both their homes now. "You get yourself dressed." He said leaving him to bang on the door down the hall.

"What! What do you want? It's two in the morning for gods sake!" Jack shouted through his door.

"Get up Jack, James apparently going to converge or something tonight. I'm going to ring Daniel and the base, James is getting dressed so sort yourself out."

"Fuck, why did it have to be now? Could not have been like three in the afternoon?"

"Sorry, but it's coming now."

They all scrambled around getting themselves sorted. James wrapped himself up till he looked even younger than normal. James hadn't aged in four years and still looked the same as when he was 16. Jon thought it was cute as anything that his badass boyfriend who had kneecaped gaffa looked like a kid still. Though he often got looks and had been called a pedo in the street with his older than normal looks and him. He didn't care though, James was worth anything to him. Eventually the three of them got into the jeep and headed for a clearing in the woods that surrounded the mountain that was still inside the fence, Daniel and other people would meet them there.

In the back of the car James started talking.

"You have to make sure no one touches or helps me. Don't ask me why I just know that it's bad."

"So it's happened before?"

"No but as far back as I remember I've warned people not to and remember there is a good reason. I think I should remember more after tonight."

"Okay, so no one touches you. What else?"

"It's going to be hard and there will most likely be a lot of pain involved. My wings are going to rip they're way out and my entire body will pretty much regenerate itself inside out. I'll be sick, my skin will come off, I'll bleed, a lot. I'm going to be screaming in agony, but you mustent touch me. I'll be okay and when it's over I'll collapse with the wings on show and everything, just to warn you."

"I don't know if I can watch you suffer like that." Jon said cupping his cheek.

"Don't worry Jack, it'll be okay. I'll make it through. I promise."

"I thought that was a given?"

"There have been a few times in the past where this has killed me, but those times I was weak and/or injured in some way to start with. In this state of health there should be no worries."

"I wish you told us this sooner."

"I didn't want you to worry." James said softly as he snuggled against his lover.

"You always worry me, I'd rather know in advance though." They reached the clearing. "How long do we have?" Jon asked him quietly.

"Ten minutes maybe twenty."

"Do you mind if I hold you till then?" Jon asked. James laughed a little at that.

"Not at all." They stood outside the car watching the middle of the clearing, Jon wrapped his arms around him from behind as a few more people arrived. Daniel, Teal'c, Siler and Walter all arrived in the next 15 minutes. They were just in time as James let out a yelp and dragged himself away from Jon.

"Everyone keep back!" Jon shouted. "No one touches him now till this is done." He said pain in his eyes.

James dropped to his knees as the pain tore through him. His mind seemed to fracture and explode as memories became part of him, he experienced thoughts and feelings, a hundred lives and deaths. He became all of them. They all became part of him. His body burned and felt like it exploded at the same time. He felt his clothes dissolved off him and his skin started to slough off, he bled and bled and screamed as his hair fell from his head and his bones seemed to shatter and grow back all at once, he felt it even worse as something touched him. He didn't know what but he pushed it away screaming. The pain remained as bad as everything grew back. His muscles reformed, his skin came back tender and new at first, his hair grew back in long and his feathers sprouted. He lay curled in on himself and tried to breath through what felt like new lungs. Real lungs. He blinked new eyes up at the sky and saw all the stars sharper than he ever had before. Slowly he moved, tender and awkward like a newborn colt. He was taller, stronger. He had grown those four years all at once. He stretched out his limbs including his wings which he starred at briefly unsure and yet so familiar at once. They were beautiful and he knew that his new bones would allow them to carry him into the sky. He turned and looked at those observing. Jon stood closer than all the others.

He felt an urge to go to Jack and wrap himself in his arms. He walked towards him and Jack took a step back from the man before him. He wasn't his sweet looking James.

"What's wrong Jack?" He asked in his newly deeper voice.

"Your James?"

"Yes, and no. I'm James but I'm also Gabriel at the same time." He said stepping closer and reaching for him. Jon stepped back once and then twice and James didn't chase him.

"I... I think I need a bit of time." He said before turning and going to the car.

"Jon, what's wrong?" Jack asked.

"It's not James. Or at least not entirely. I think I need to get away. Could I borrow the car? I'll leave it at the house."

"Where are you gonna go?"

"The cabin I think. I'll be back soon. Actually no, I'll be back when I know what I'm doing." He said. Jack reluctantly handed over the keys and watched as he drove away before turning back to see Daniel hugging James who was looking more than a little distraute. He went over to them.

"I don't understand" He heard James say. "He knew this was going to happen."

"I think it was the sudden ageing thing that caught him out. It is a little disconcerting. We're all so used to you not changing." Jack said reaching to pull James into a hug himself. It had been hard seeing the boy he thought of as a son in so much pain. "the wings are cool though. Can you use them?" James smiled at him through his tears.

"Oh, yeah."

"Well, lets see about getting you off world so you can try them out."

"Is he coming back?"

"Not straight away. He's gonna go to the cabin for a while and get his head back on straight. If he's not back in a week I'll go after him and kick his butt though. Just give him a week." He said carefully.

"Don't forget James, he's an O'Neill, they take a while to process stuff like this." Daniel said smiling at Jack remembering how hard it had been for Jack to accept his ascension.

"I guess." He said allowing himself to be lead to the cars and given a blanket to cover him till they reached the SGC and were able to procure a uniform that fit his new larger frame. James looked a little fragile but no one was surprised given what he'd just gone through. Approval for their trip off world went through fast and everyone who could swing it gathered in the gate room to go with them and watch James fly for the first time. He was looking forward to it. He remember the rush it gave him. He looked at the gate and headed up the ramp feeling a little queazy, then again it had been a long nervous night. He just wanted to step through and see the open sky and fly again.

"Come on kid. Easy as falling over, remember?" Jack said as they approached the event horizon.

"Oh, yeah, and those memories are all me." He stepped through with his two 'fathers' on either side of him missing the hand he had always thought he would be holding when he did this. They emerged on the other side and James instantly felt a hundred times worse, he staggered forward and fell over rolling down the sites ramp. As he came to a stop he was sick his whole body was in pain again.

"James!" Daniel shouted rushing over to him and rolling James to face him saw the pain on his expression.

"Back, I need to go back." He breathed out between clenched teeth.

"Tell them not to come through, then shut it down and dial back." Jack ordered have heard what James said. It took a few moments but the gate was redialed quickly and Jack picked up James surprised by how light he was and carried him back through. On the other side everyone was waiting looking worried.

"Call a medical team." Jack shouted as he came through and placed James down on the ramp, he was shaking and sweating. "James, what is wrong with you?"

"Bond, need bond" He muttered before passing out.

Over the next week James was in and out of consciousness always muttering or shouting about a bond or something when he was awake. According to the doctors his internal organs were failing. Jack couldn't wait any longer. He picked up the phone and dailed Jon's cell.

"What?" Jon asked not sounding pleased to hear from him.

"Jon you need to get your ass back here. James isn't doing well."

"What do you mean?"

"He seemed fine and we tried taking him off world so he could fly but the moment we got him through the gate he collapsed. He's been in and out ever since. This morning the doctors said his organs are failing as well as they can tell anyway."

"Why the hell didn't you call me sooner?" Jon said down the line. Jack could hear him getting up and moving around.

"I was hoping you were going to come back on your own. Were you?" There was silence for a while on the other end of the line.

"Not yet." He said simply.

"Well this might be the time to change your plans. He doesn't have long."

Jon packed up and jumped in the his car however he felt what ever there was of James left in the world was dying, he wanted to be there. He arrived late at the gates and parked before jumping out and running for the elevator as quickly as possible. He needed to see him. Suddenly he didn't know why he left, he was supposed to be with James.

He rushed into the infirmary. James was lying in the bed tossing and turning and mumbling. Jon walked over and took his hand. "Please, James, please don't leave me." He said kissing his hand. Jon turned over and opened his eyes looking at his. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Jon.

"Thank god it's you." He said.

"I wouldn't let you go with out me here." Jon said his eyes beginning to tear up.

"No, you didn't listen."

"What do you mean?" Jon asked confused.

"I told you to stay back. You touched me. We're bonded."

"What do you mean bonded?"

"I can't live with out you."

"James, please explain this."

"Now your here I'll get better. I don't understand it myself entirely. You bonded with me. I can't be too far away from you now. I'll die if I leave you for too long."

"What the hell, James, why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I didn't know before."

"What can I do?" He asked eventually. James smiled and squeezed their joined hands.

"Stay close."

"Of course." Jon agreed and slipped onto the bed next to James.

"So your telling me that your bonded as you say to anyone who touches you while you go through the convergence?" Daniel said at the briefing.

"Yes, I don't know why but I am."

"It's a good question, why would a race evolve to be entirely dependant on another in that way and in such an involuntary fashion." Carter asked looking around the table.

"Well, in some cultures it's quiet normal that say a wife not leave her husband for long periods after marriage. This could be something like that." Daniel countered.

"No, it's not. It's a bad thing. I know that this is a bad thing and that I have never wanted it in the slightest. Not even as a sense of duty." James said sat next to Jon and feeling much better than he had before. "It's not that I have a problem with being with you all the time Jack, I just want to choose it rather than it being a biological imperative." James said to his fiance.

"It is odd. Do you know more about where you came from?" Daniel asked.

"Not really, I know I'm not from here but it's like my harddrive only has so much memory or I've forgotten or something. I only remember back so far."

"Any hints?" Jack asked.

"I'm afraid not. Though I think I came through the gate. I have very little familiarity with the idea of space travel. I mean most things I've had some knowledge of for a long time. Like computers don't seem new, neither does other stuff like MRIs."

"So there's a chance we could fine your people through the gate some time?"

"I guess." James said with a shrug. "More immediately, when can we get back to out studies?" Jack, Daniel and Carter all looked at each other.

"It'll be a while. We need to know what exactly the limits of this bond is and also there is the issue of you keeping your wings in good condition." Jack said carefully.

"So not for a few months?" Jon asked bluntly.

"No, not for a few months." Jack confirmed.

"I'm not sure you should go back." Carter said. They both looked at her. "I know you two wanted a normal university but what ever we do that's not going to happen. How do we explain the change in your appearance, the disappearance of all your symptoms and Jon still needing to be close to you. You could go to somewhere closer and come back at the weekends to allow James time off world and if anything you'd be more normal."

"She may have a point James." Jon said to him.

"I know." He said quietly.

They stayed in Colorado Springs and got their degrees, they even got married... in the Gateroom. They got special permission to be on a gate team despite their married status. It was hard, they couldn't be apart, not that they wanted to be most of the time.


End file.
